The Government is “past having polite conversations” with companies regarding the online safety of children, the Health Minister has warned.

Stephen Donnelly said many digital companies are “well aware” of the damage they are causing to young people yet still refuse to work with authorities.

A CyberSafeKids report released this week found that one in four children has been bothered by harmful content online - ranging from scams to harassment and sexual material - and 65% of children have been contacted by a stranger online.

Minister Donnelly today launched a new public health approach to keeping children safe online, with three key focuses.

“One is €1m a year for an awareness campaign to keep parents, educators and young people up to date on the kinds of harms being caused and what can be done about them,” he told The Hard Shoulder.

“The second thing is additional funding for CyberSafeKids - they provide really important in-school education and support.

“The third is I’ve set up an online safety task force, a multidisciplinary group that’s going to describe the full range of harms being done.

“Then they’re going to provide recommendations for a radical step forward in terms of online safety.”

'Insulting'

Minister Donnelly said he was insulted that a number of companies, including Snapchat, X, Amazon and many more, did not attend a meeting he and the Education Minister arranged to discuss online safety earlier in the year.

“It was insulting to every person in Ireland, to all of the parents who are worried, and to all of the children who need to be kept safe.

“Ministers - we’ve got pretty thick skin - but who they’re really insulting is young people and parents.

“My view is we are now past having a polite conversation and past asking or expecting online platforms to do the right thing.

“Some of them have made some efforts, but many haven’t and they are very well aware of the harm that they, their products, and their services are causing to young people.”

Snapchat, Instagram and TikTok apps on an iPhone. 2021. Picture by: Koshiro K / Alamy Stock Photo

Minister Donnelly said new legislation, the Digital Services Act, will grant authorities the power to hit companies that don’t comply with online safety regulations where it hurts.

“Their greatest strength is their vast wealth and power,” he said.

“This legislation is turning that into their greatest weakness because if they start getting fined based on percentages of their turnover, that changes the conversation.

“We also have to begin looking at criminal sanctions against these firms as well.

“The evidence is absolutely clear that at least some of them are knowingly harming children and refusing to make their products safe for children—[then] I think we’re in the realm of criminal action.”

The report released this week also revealed that 77% of children say their parents can’t see what they’re doing online and 83% are allowed to use devices in their rooms.

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Main image: Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly speaking to media in Dublin, 6-1-23. Image: Leah Farrell / RollingNews.ie