Should people who record videos of tragic deaths and violent assaults for social media face prosecution?
That’s the question Lunchtime Live host Andrea Gilligan is asking listeners after hearing from two mothers in the space of a week who’ve seen their child’s tragedy uploaded to social media.
On Monday, Andrea spoke to Sandra Byrne’s foster mother to 19-year-old Wassiou Leon Awaye who died in a jet-ski accident in Killaloe at the end of May.
Sandra had to fight to get videos of Wassiou’s final moments taken down from social media after onlookers filmed his death and posted it to Tiktok.
A split-screen showing Wassiou Leon Awaye and Wassiou with his foster mother Sandra Byrnes.Yesterday, she spoke to the mother of a 13-year-old boy who was viciously assaulted by a gang of youths in Dublin’s Bushy Park last week.
The mother, whose family wish to remain anonymous, said the 20-minute attack that left the child in intensive care was filmed by onlookers and again, posted to social media.
Should it be a crime to share videos of brutal assaults or fatalities on social media? @LunchtimeLiveNT pic.twitter.com/IS1ZeHU29W
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“That is the second person I have spoken to this week - it is the second mother that I’ve talked to here on Lunchtime Live - who spoke about the pain of seeing her child’s tragedy shared on social media,” said Andrea at the star of today’s show.
“Just think about that for a moment. In the panic of dealing with what has happened and the rush to the hospital, hearing about that.
“Hearing that those final moments, hearing that that tragedy that has happened to your child has been shared on social media for the world to see.
“How do we let that happen? With no consequences.”
The young boy in ICU after the brutal assault in Bushy Park in Dublin.Andrea said she sees the merit in recording an incident, provided you are planning to hand the footage over to Gardaí.
“But when it is taken and shared to social media sites for the clicks and for the views, surely we shouldn’t let that happen?” she said.
“Surely, we can stop that?
“Are we doing enough to stop it? Maybe it’s a grey area.
“Should people who share videos of attacks or fatalities on social media sites, should they face some form of penalty and what is that penalty?
“Should it be a crime to share videos of brutal assaults and fatalities online?”
