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MORE THAN EIGHT out of ten parents bought a technology-related gift for their child this year, with the most popular buys being tablets, video games and smartphones. Whether it’s smartphones or toys with interactive apps though, this year’s top Christmas presents all connect to the Internet.
Like all parents, I worry all the time about my kids and yet, while the Internet has many risks and dangers, I want my kids to be online. I want them to be respectful and enjoy it, but I also want them to be safe and responsible when they are using it.
As an online safety educator, I welcome the proposed changes to the digital age of consent and the public consultation process for one reason: it is shining a spotlight on being online.
Legislating for digital consent
The proposed change to the Digital Age of Consent legislation means that each EU country must set the age of digital consent for children somewhere between 13 and 16 years of age.
In Ireland the digital age of consent is currently set at 13 (it’s when a child can avail of Internet services) but we can decide to change this age upwards as far as 16. This change applies to any Internet service that uses personal data of minors so covers all social networks, gaming, email and apps.
Without evidence-based research that recommends what the appropriate age for digital consent should be, changing the age right now is a numerical choice. Whether the age is changed or remains at 13 the only real approach and solution to this debate is online safety education.
As a small nation with so many of the world’s leading technology companies based locally, there is a real opportunity for Ireland to set standards ensuring that children of all ages can use and enjoy the Internet in a fun, safe and responsible way.
Yes, the Government must hold Internet services accountable for upholding the law. And yes, every Internet service has a duty of care, not just to abide by the digital age of consent but they must go above and beyond that. They must provide accessible and easily understood information about their service, its safety, privacy and use (including data storage and use).
Safeguarding must begin at home
The responsibility of safeguarding our children online begins at home. We as parents and guardians are the first to place a device in the hands of our children so we have to educate ourselves to enable us to support, guide and protect our children online.
Here are some realities to consider. All sorts of data can be collected by an Internet service about your child, including name, age, DOB, address, current location, photos, chat history, fingerprints, voice recognition and physical attributes. No service forces you or your child to use their service so we need to do our homework first before engaging with anything new.
According to French privacy laws, parents posting images of their children online could face a fine of up to €45,000 for breaching their child’s privacy or endangering their security online. And a recent ParentZone survey in the UK found that parents post an average of 1500 images of their children online before their child reaches the age of 5. That’s about 25 images a month.
Do parents have the right to post images of their children online? Young people take their online reputation very seriously and this is a topic for discussion at all ages, not just among the young.
Parents unaware of the minimum age to be on social networks
Children under 13 are already online. They are faking their age to gain access to services that they want to use. This is a fact. So much more needs to be done by service providers everywhere to tackle this issue of underage use.
Online age verification solutions are being developed around the world, yet I struggle to see how they can be 100% effective. Aside from the cost of implementing this across the Internet, how would it be enforced?
Kids are smart. They will outwit any system
Young people are creators of technology and we already have inspiring young Irish entrepreneurs. We want our kids to be smart and savvy online so there is a simpler more cost effective way of empowering our youth to be great online, and that is through education.
I believe that from a young age, children should be permitted to be online. We need comfort in knowing that when we as parents are not around, that children will be in a better position to make responsible decisions on their own or at least feel comfortable talking. Growing up with your child online means that you start off with parental controls from a young age, educating them about being safe online. Your role as a parent slowly evolves as your child matures, earning them more responsibility online.
At the end of the day, while laws must abide to protect the rights of a child, neither restrictions, controls, verification processes nor algorithms will replace the parent and teacher in the important role of education. There is no magic app to tackle this, it comes down to parenting, education and honest conversations.
Avril Ronan is a pro-tech parent of two small children. She worries about her kids all the time and yet when it comes to being online, Avril is passionate about ensuring that we take a balanced view of the Internet and all things tech. In her role as Global Programme Manager for Trend Micro, Avril is responsible for Trend Micro’s Internet Safety for Kids and Families Programme (ISKF) which has reached over 100,000 parents, educators and students across Ireland over the past 5 years.
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The PSNI still act like the right hand of the Unionists. If they’re being drawn into the political firing lines it’s because they’re affiliated with one of the battling sides.
@Jon Kelly: Not a chance
@Jon Kelly: Not totally true. It’s definitely changed significantly since the old RUC days. There will be some bad eggs in there with prejudices to one part of the sectarian divide.
@James Lough: you might be right and that might explain why there was action taken against two officers – two bad eggs. But then there’s a question as to who sent those two officers along to police a simple quiet respectful wreath laying service of around ten people?
Or did the two bad eggs, one of which was waving a pair of hand cuffs from the start, take it upon themselves to harass the commemoration?
@Angela McCarthy: l have no idea, it’s speculation. The management or ombudsman should do a review and find out how they were instructed or did they make their own judgement. The psni needs to be transparent and not be prejudical. It would be good to see a joint Chief Constable from Irish and British jurisdictions to ensure an even hand.
@James Lough: changed you say but no comment about how UVF activity including that mentioned in the article go unchecked? Mass drug dealing in Loyalist areas by the UVF is common knowledge but no action taken.
Coincidence that there may be more information coming about the Sean Graham Bookmakers Massacre and the actions the last day and you think it’s very different
@James Lough: changed you say but no comment about how UVF activity including that mentioned in the article go unchecked? Mass drug dealing in Loyalist areas by the UVF is common knowledge but no action taken.
Coincidence that there may be more information coming about the Sean Graham Bookmakers Massacre and the actions the last day and you think it’s very different
PSNI = RUC.
@Dearbhla O Reilly: Sinn Féin = IRA?
@Dearbhla O Reilly: 3x + 2x + 4 = 5
@Joe Vlogs: first of all, no. Secondly, the psni are representatives of the government and have a duty to serve and protect all citizens equally.
@Kevin O’ Brien: 90% loyalist/Protestant represents PSNI , Only 10% Nationalists??? Do you think it is a right balance ? Definitely not …
@The dark raider…. Don’t Buy British Products .: absolutely not, and I didn’t say that either. My point is that they should represent and treat the people of Northern Ireland fairly, which maybe they don’t. Apologies if you didn’t understand that.
A quick Google search states Catholics currently make up about 32% of the PSNI. The target is 50:50 which will take a while to allow some of the older non Catholics to retire out.
@Kevin O’ Brien: Ok , agree with you correctly about the police duty to represent all the NI citizens fairly ..
@The dark raider…. Don’t Buy British Products .: please check your facts Donald.
@Misty Eyed Mutton: x = 0.2
@John Joseph Barry: thats a great response from the wider community to join inspite of initial threats from SF activists in NI. Do they still have the sign up in Clady “PSNI:people should not inform”? Of course, the guys that join see themselves as all 100% northern Ireland police, not a percentage of a religious army, and that’s the big difficulty bigoted nationist have.
@Tony Humphreys: you beat me to it. :)
What a surprise to see the Irish media defending the PSNI who were completely wrong and did the opposite of their job. I’ll always remember my Aussie mate asking. Why do the Irish media love the British and hate the Irish. It would be a new low for the media to spin this as anything other than the truth. A tiny number of people who are related, were socially distanced and were kept there twice as long as the ceremony by the PSNI blatantly looking for trouble. They sat there all day waiting for the mourners to come.
PSNI reeked with UDA , UDR , RUC , UFF , UVF , DUP , LVF , TUP and TORY ….
Surely it’s not about winning but conducting yourselves in a fair, transparent and impartial way towards anyone regardless of anyone’s personal or political beliefs?
Why aren’t those men sacked? Or made to go in front of those commemorating and apologise and watch a new commemoration?
Clearly many of the commenters here haven’t bothered to actually meet with or speak to anyone in the PSNI.
@Paul: so they can tell you that they’re totally impartial and the forgot their handcuffs at the loyalist show of strength? Honest mistake I’m sure!
If Police in Northern Ireland are being accused of favouring one side of the sectarian divide by the other and vice versa that generally is a good indication that they’re generally doing things quite right.
As for the incident on the Ormeau Road, I hope that it can be chalked down as an error of judgement on behalf of individual officers which it probably was.
Not wanting to needlessly inflame matters at a Loyalist “show of strength” demonstration falls in the same category as deciding to not being heavy handed at the funeral of an old Provo that was equally in breach of current regulations around public gatherings.
The PSNI overreact to a situation but it’s kinda understandable because we’re in the middle of a pandemic. SF immediately try to undermine the police and drag us back 20 years. Note to Sinn Fein: this kind of carry on makes the chance of a United Ireland LESS likely, not more likely. Ordinary voters in the south have an antenna for this and realise that SF reverts to type whenever a situation arises that they can bend to their benefit no matter the consequences for peace in the North. SF are too stupid to realise this unfortunately
@Virgil: watched the video of the interaction, the police man was looking to get the guy and escalated the situation,
When you go marching alongside masked terrorists who drove people out of their homes youd be sacked in a normal state
The more things change the more they stay the same. It will take a few generations yet for irish people in the six counties to be seen as equals.
One incident isn’t reflective of every officer in the organisation or the commissioner. Does anyone appreciate how difficult and dangerous it is to be a member of the psni? Also The psni are getting bashed from both political parties. The DUP criticised them for not intervening in a republican funeral which broke social distancing requirements (the right call as intervention would have incited a riot). Next week the psni took the same approach to a unionist event and Sinn Fein slated them. damned if you do and damned if you don’t
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