There will be “significant pushback” if access to social media becomes dependent on every individual within society providing materials like passports to social media companies, a TD has said.
Speaking in the Dáil today, Peadar Tóibín described plans for Digital ID as invasive.
Seeing dozens of men before Irish courts on a regular basis having been found with thousands of images of children and abuse material is a bigger problem than under-16s using social media, the TD also said.
Tóibín said: “With all the talk of social media and the serious problems in that regard, there is a bigger problem about which there is no talk or action.”
The TD said that the Government’s approach to banning social media for under-16s is “shockingly poor and one-dimensional” and does not cover internet threats to children.
“When it comes to the Government’s plan to create a digital ID, there is no real detail. It is not well thought out and there has been no consultation with stakeholders,” he said.
He was speaking as it emerged on Wednesday that the Government is to work with other EU states on looking at ways to restrict social media for children aged under 16. The plans are part of the Government’s new ‘Digital and AI Strategy,’ with the plan to examine restricting social media for under-16s through age verification.
Similarly, in the UK, Labour is examining ways to ban social media for under-16s, after Australia approved a similar ban last November.
Spain has also said it will ban social media for under-16s, while France, Denmark and Norway have proposed barring users under the age of 15 from using the platforms.
“I have heard some of the Taoiseach’s party colleagues mention a public service card maybe being at the heart of this. Given that the Government has already broken the law twice with a public service card, I do not think that is a logical idea.”
He said the idea of mandatorily collecting facial biometric data from millions of citizens “is an invasive thing in a liberal democracy.”
“There will be significant pushback, I believe, if access to social media is dependent on every individual within society providing materials like passports, etc., to social media companies.
“For all the critics there are of social media, social media is a public good. I have a different suggestion, and that is to stop young people having smartphones. That is easier to regulate and provide under law. It would go some way in reducing access to the content about which we all have a concern in this Chamber.”
Aontú leader Tóibín, speaking during Leader’s Questions, pressed Taoiseach Micheál Martin on the Government’s approach.
“Today it has been announced that the Government intends to introduce age restrictions on social media,” said the Meath TD. “Most parents around the country will be in favour of that. I have spoken to many children around this and they have said they could do without social media if none of their peers had it. It is the fear of being left out that is the biggest issue for a lot of children in relation to this.
“I recognise that screens have radically changed childhood in the past ten years: from 24-hour bullying to unhealthy, passive physical inactivity; and from isolation and loneliness to violent pornographic content on their phones on a regular basis.”
He said it was the case that social media is made as addictive and sticky as possible, and even adults find it difficult to handle. However, he pointed out that his party had produced a Bill five years ago that sought to ban the provision of hardcore pornographic material to children.
“Hardcore pornography companies, some of which operate in this city as part of the Government’s foreign direct investment policy, are providing hardcore material to children. Children experts from all over the world are saying that consumption of hardcore pornographic material by children as young as ten is leading to an increase in sexual violence against women,” said Deputy Tóibín.
INCIDENTS OF CHILDREN SEXUALLY ABUSING OTHERS UP
“Indeed, incidents of children sexually abusing other children have significantly increased in this country in recent years. The law, as it stands, is making victims and perpetrators out of children because we are not protecting children from this content.”
The party leader has previously highlighted significant increases in the number of sexual crimes in Irish society over the last decade. In 2011 there were 1,958 Sexual offences recorded, whilst the figure shot up by 75% to 3,433 sexual offences in 2021.
Last year, Children at Risk in Ireland (CARI), a therapy service for children who have been abused, reported a 44% increase in sexual abuse and sexually harmful behaviour on children by children in recent years.
Mr Tóibín pointed to the case of Ana Kriegel, who was murdered by two 13-year-old boys in an abandoned house in Lucan in May 2008. Anna was just 14 when she was sexually assaulted and murdered after she was lured to the house by the boys.
“The Ana Kriégel case was one such horrific case,” he said. “Ana was violently attacked, sexually assaulted and murdered in an abandoned house in Lucan in 2018 by two boys aged 13. An examination of Boy A’s phone revealed that there were 12,000 images on it, the vast majority of which were pornographic in nature.
“You would imagine that particular murder and sexual assault would have jolted the Government into action to protect children from this material, but since then there has been tumbleweed in relation to this material. When we launched our Bill, we got measured tones of shock from the Taoiseach and others, but we got no action on the issue at all.
“With all the talk of social media and the serious problems in that regard, there is a bigger problem about which there is no talk or action. In the context of our child protection laws, there are dozens of men on a regular basis before our courts who are found with thousands of images of children, abusive material, and videos and photographs of the most serious and explicit nature.
“On a monthly basis, these individuals get suspended sentences in this country. When it comes to the Government’s initiative in this regard, I am asking the Taoiseach for an holistic, coherent approach to all Internet content for the protection of children. “
Hitting back, Mr Martin said: “ In the first three minutes, the Deputy spoke about how terrible we are in not protecting children and so forth. We are coming up with an age verification tool to protect children and he is telling us not to do that if it has implications for civil liberties and so on. That is basically what he is saying.”
“We need to do more in terms of age verification and we are looking at integrating an age verification tool into Ireland’s digital wallet. A voluntary pilot is envisaged in the coming months. Coimisiún na Meán is now at the heart of our online safety framework.
“It has been established fairly quickly in relative terms as our online safety and media regulator under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022. Europe has enacted the Digital Services Act and the EU terrorist content online regulation.
“They all form part of our framework. We have an online safety code implemented by Coimisiún na Meán and further work is being done on that. With regard to the European Union, we work with our European Union colleagues in terms of the regulatory environment to make sure we have the strongest possible frameworks in place to protect children,” the Taoiseach added in his response.