New initiative aims to protect children from cyberbullying, exploitation and disinformation
Mayo TD Keira Keogh, has today announced her party's newest initiative aimed to strengthen online safety.
Fine Gael has launched an online safety survey, and is reaching out to parents with young children for their input.
Deputy Keogh, who is the Chair of the Joint Committee on Children and Equality, has been vocal about the importance of protecting children from the dangers of the online world.
In a promotional video, Deputy Keogh said: “Our children are growing up in a fast-changing digital world, and while the internet does help them learn and grow, it also exposes them to harmful content like cyberbullying, exploitation and disinformation.”
The Westport-based representative stated that Fine Gael believes social media companies must be held more accountable, and is calling for stronger protection measures to keep children in Ireland safe online.
Deputy Keogh has previously called for stricter regulations to be placed on social media companies. She has also spoken about grassroots-led solutions being used to help tackle the issue of online safety, for example, parents grouping together to agree not to give their children smartphones until they reach a certain age.
“You wouldn't allow your child to watch pornography on the sitting room TV, yet we give them the phones. We know that children as young as nine are accessing pornography, and pornography these days can be so violent. I think we have to do more to protect our children online,” she recently told the Irish Independent.
Deputy Keogh previously highlighted the need to protect other vulnerable groups from online dangers: “I would be really passionate about protecting all of our vulnerable, and especially in the age of AI that includes our elderly, we also have to protect democracy from misinformation.”
Additionally, she has called for robust age-verification systems to be introduced, proposing that the minimum age for social media accounts be set at 16, and access to pornography sites be restricted to 18, stating that there should be “hefty fines for companies that are not complying.”
The online safety survey can be accessed on Fine Gael’s website.
This article has been funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.