Parents in Sligo urged to have their say on children’s online safety

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

A new online survey inviting parents and guardians to share their views on how best to protect children and young people in the digital world was launched recently with a local councillor expressing the belief it is vital that parents in Sligo are to the fore in the discussion around creating a safe digital environment for children.

Urging all parents in the region to be as informed as possible, Cllr Thomas Walsh said, “My colleague, Deputy Keira Keogh, has launched a new survey seeking the opinions of parents on how to tackle issues facing young people online. We all know the importance of technology and how it can connect young people, but it can also expose them to harmful influences if left unchecked.

“That’s why we’re inviting parents and guardians to share their views and perspectives, through our new online survey, on how we can best safeguard children from harmful content.”

Cllr Walsh also called for robust policies and legislation and greater accountability for social media companies in relation to the some of the content that is being accessed by children.

“We are calling for greater accountability for social media companies when harmful content on their platforms reaches children and young people. We need robust policies and legislation to ensure that those companies take real responsibility for the safety of our children online.

“The survey will explore a wide range of issues, including: The appropriate age for young people to own smartphones and gain access to social media platforms; Whether mandatory age verification systems should be introduced for adult websites; The role of government and social media companies in addressing harmful content; Practical steps for educating both children and parents about safely navigating the digital world.

“The survey can be accessed via finegael.ie/onlinesafety. I encourage all parents in Sligo to have their say and let us know how these issues should be addressed,” concluded Cllr Thomas Walsh.