Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE GOVERNMENT WILL no longer be dealing with tech platforms that host harmful content as “partners”, instead moving to an “enforcement model”, particularly when it comes to protecting children online, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly has said.
Donnelly said the days of “asking them nicely” are over and that recent and upcoming legislation will be used to punish websites and apps that pose a threat to children’s wellbeing.
“I think the time of asking or expecting online platforms do the right thing is over,” he said.
“I think we might as well be asking tobacco companies to do the right thing.”
He said it is his belief that “harms to young people as a result of online interactions constitute a public health crisis”.
“I think the partnership approach is over. I wouldn’t suggest the partnership approach with tobacco companies. I’m not suggesting a partnership approach with online platforms.”
Children are encountering violent, misogynistic and other mentally distressing content online, Donnelly said.
Speaking at the launch of the Online Health Taskforce, which has been allocated €1 million in funding for public awareness campaigns, Donnelly referenced a report about children’s activity online by CyberSafeKids.
The taskforce will hold its first meeting next week and is chaired by Jillian van Turnhout, a children’s rights advocate and former senator.
She said the relished the task of tackling what she described as a “persistent crisis”.
“We need to ensure that robust mechanisms are put in place to protect young people,” Donnelly said. “Parents cannot be expected to deal with this on their own.”
The taskforce will provide recommendations of “radical actions Ireland can take to keep young people safe”, the Minister said, adding that he wants Ireland to be a leader in the area of online safety and enforcement.
“This task force will be one important part in saying that we have had enough and it is time for radical change,” Donnelly said.
He also referenced the recently passed EU Digital Services Act and Ireland’s pending Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, which he said would be used to punish platforms that publish harmful content.
He said the upcoming Act would give the State the power to fine tech companies “huge amounts of money”. He did not specify figures but said that the fines would amount to a percentage of an offending company’s revenue.
Asked if the State would also pursue individual owners and executives like Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk, he said that the taskforce would assess that.
He also noted that social media companies are not the main offenders when it comes to impacting children. Youtube and the gaming platform Roblox are the most common sites where children are exposed to abuse and disturbing content, according to CyberSafeKids.
As well as finding that a quarter of children between 8 and 12 have encountered harmful content online, the CyberSafeKids report identified a drop in parental oversight of children’s activity online, which Donnelly said showed the need for raising public awareness.
Asked if the approach could result in the banning of an offending website in light of Brazil blocking X this week, Donnelly said that would be something for the taskforce to determine but that those powers already exist in the law.
Yesterday, Taoiseach Simon Harris said he would not be in favour of such a measure.
Donnelly said that companies can no longer rely on the idea that they are “notice boards” with no control over what their users publish because so much of the disturbing content is pushed by their algorithms.
He mentioned one demonstration of a newly created Snapchat account posing as a 12-year-old girl whose interests were camogie and ponies. Within minutes the account was being fed videos promoting male violence against girls.
The new taskforce will submit an interim report in six month’s time and will deliver its final report in September 2025.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Tackle the waiting lists, Steve.
@Martin Finnerty: Mental health issues are part of his responsibilities.
@thomas molloy: That clown would give you mental health issues
@thomas molloy: I think we all know that….. know that he’s making a balls of that and with everything under his remit….. useless!
@Martin Finnerty: he has, waiting lists are down for second year.
@Pat Hazzard: is that why all the buses are heading north so people can save their sight ?
Concentrate on your own department which is a complete mess. Less sound bites to seem relevant
@Nigel Hayden: you don’t think mental health comes under health?
Because it very much does!
@Martin Bishop: Stephen Donnelly or any of his fellow professional spoofers doesn’t give a rats arse about people’s mental health.
What about the kids that have no services, long waiting lists, kids needing life saving surgeries . Instead shift the narrative to censorship !
@Rosie Martin: Normalising damaging sexual behaviour must be seen by media as a serious health danger to society. The media are highlighting the danger and damage done when men have sick attitudes to boys, ignoring anything that contributes to this is urgent. Electioneering can wait.
Free porn available on the internet since day 1…..never once has a government or tech corporates tried to shut down the availability of that…..just stuff with bad words.
@Dere: leave the free porn alone…..
@Fiona Wyse:
Would he consider the state of university hospital limerick a crisis no?
@Damien Leahy: “either or” approach does not apply at government levels.
36 million to Ukraine to continue a pointless war (latest tranche) while our people die on the streets and underfunded hospitals
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: Maybe you should take it up with your fascist state of russia
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: a small gesture to show our solidarity and compassion with our Ukrainian brethren
@Fintan Pox: Uklownians you mean? Nobody cares about them except maybe the odd useless pox like yourself
@Yllems Yags: odd comment with a sprinkle of hostility, I am intrigued
@Marcus Maher – Triskellion Films: Pointless? How so? Do you believe people should just roll over and die, anytime a demented autocrat who cannot handle even the slightest bit of dissent, decides to invade? How cowardly. Cowardly of us too if we can’t help out in any way we can. And that’s before our vested interest in keeping Russia at bay. It might be too late for Russia with the authoritarian takeover absolute and complete. Anyone who dissents will be poisoned or have some nonsense charges spat at them in a comedy court. We have a choice though and anyone who wants to be part of the democratic and civil-minded end of the international community should stand up and be counted.
Obviously it’ll never happen but it would be very interesting to see how people would react and change if there was a year with no phones or social media. They’ve changed all of us more than we realise. It’s pretty incredible how a couple of inventions have reprogrammed us and upended practically every human behaviour you can think of. We’re still in the early days of a giant experiment. There will be many an incredible storyline for the dramatists and documentary makers in 50-100 years, if we make it that far. We always look back in awe at certain periods of great upheaval and irrational behaviour and wonder what people felt like living through them. It’s one of those seismic periods right now.
Another senior politician spinning & deflecting from his failures as a Minister. He is like Harris now, trying to get linked to every news feed, but actually doing nothing.The problem with Donnelly not being on top of his brief, is that people are dying as a result of it, so many lives lost, but all this guy can do is shout, look over there bad social media or let’s give everyone free contraception. But the reality is, that children, like those with severe pain from Scoliosis are being failed & abandoned. Time to get these guys out.
Stephen is the best health minister we ever had, but social media needs to be banned completely
@Fintan Pox: Then where would you post your pro government BS.
@087 bed: I am a proud card-carrying member of Fianna Fail, I got my house, thanks to Fianna Fail
@087 bed: Yes. And where would you post your russian state terrorism support BS
@087 bed: He’s obviously a false flag.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: I’ll bet you’d love an aul tug of Putin XD
@Fintan Pox: pl0nker
@Fintan Pox: You’re the kind of person who can say absoluiely nothing – and mean it.
see navan getting more unwanted in another disgrace irish people need to stand up and get this scam ffG out
@Gerry Lynch: We voted for this government. Navan could do with some outsiders and less in- breeding
@Sean Hayes: i didnt vote for them never would and anyway you must be a very uneducated man if you think they good for any town god help ur wit
CLIMATE CHANGE
I won’t ask nicely next time – you don’t wanna mess with us buster
@Tom Conmy: quick someone all the Cork fishermen
I see he’s still bitter about those accounts he bought to retweet and like his posts
Anyone that actually believes that the government trying to coerce, and now to use punitive measures against tech firms and platforms to remove and censor content online is motivated by any desire to protect children, need their heads examined.
This is about trying to create a set of circumstances where the government has the ability to censor and remove content online and to de-platform anyone they want to on demand for their own ends, none of which includes the protection of children.
If you doubt this is true, just look at all the ways this and previous governments have and continue to fail children in Ireland on a daily basis…
@Padraic O’ Sullivan: FF looking after their friends in high places. What a big surprise
@Darth O’Leary: FF is the best political party we ever had, we don’t know how lucky we are to have them in government all the time
@Fintan Pox: yeah we hit the jackpot alright, Fin
@Fintan Pox: Dear god.
@Darth O’Leary: Better than holding kangaroo courts to protect ones in low places or protecting one’s brother.
@Vincent Alexander: Christ man you’re beyond obsessed. You’re of the view that the organised systemic nationwide abuse of tens of thousands of chldren and the cover up and protection afforded by those in power, politicians included is comparable to a specific case in a terrorist organisation. To even attempt to deflect and diminish the responsibility of those who failed these children with your ‘ better than ‘ rethoric, to further your agenda is both repugnant and shameful.
@Brian: he’s not wrong
@Fintan Pox: The endorsement of said comment by someone who likes to make fun of the victims of sexual abuse is further evidence of the warped minds of trolls in this comments section.
@Brian: Fianna Fail stands with them
@Brian: nice bit of selective outrage there, all abuse is wrong, but you believe the Shinners should get a free pass, that’s low
@Fintan Pox: that’s satire Fintan, surely.
@Fintan Pox: Stop making fun of and belliting people who have been abused you twisted fk..as evidenced on the article about the men who were abused by Shine, which were subsequently removed. I suggest you find one comment where I have said anything of the sort of which your purporting.. but I wouldnt expect anything less feom a lying,mud slinging neanderthal like you.
@Brian: but you believe that only certain abuse victims matter?
@Fintan Pox: Where did I say that ? Your comprehension skills are below remedial. Your attempted whataboutery on the abuse of generations of children is beyond disgusting. Some things should be above this.. but clearly you have no limits to the depths you’ll sink to. Such a big man behind your anonymous fake account..
@Brian: refer to your previous comment when you said one case was not comparable to an individual abuse victim (there was more than one) of a terrorist organisation aka SF, shows the type of pond life I am wasting my time arguing with, a vile excuse for a human being
@Brian: you are a very unsavoury character who has double standards, I won’t engage further with the likes of you
@Brian: Read all the comments from pro SF posters. These are peppered with name calling, scurrilous remarks and half truths. Apparently you are quite happy with this but it is wrong to counteract these comments. SF are happy to try and control social media.
Glad you recognise the PIRA as a terrorist organisation and its political wing used its offices to conduct the kangaroo court.
@Vincent Alexander: You’re not telling me anything I don’t know or am repulsed by .. The only thing that guys like you,who are obsessed with SF/IRA, do when challenged is accuse people of being shinners. And I’ll call people, like Pox, who openly mock and laugh at abuse victims, all the names under the sun if thats alright with you. Or do you support his vile comments on the Shine case? Your comment was disgusting, and I reiterate, trying to deflect or diminish the suffering of all those children with your usual bout of ‘but but but SF/IRA’ is a new level of low.. ffs man have a modicum of respect.
@Fintan Pox: Christ, the resident Journal troll who posts incessantly and laughs at abuse victims is giving it the faux indignation routine now. I won’t forget, and nor should other people, you laughing at victims of sexual abuse. Shame on you. You despicable human being.
@Brian: Abuse of children is wrong and the cover up of sexual predators is wrong no matter who the perpetrators are. It is also wrong being selective trying to score political points on a one sided basis.
I will call it out when I see this bias.
@Vincent Alexander: oh ffs .. you absolute hypocrite. You were the one trying to score ‘ political points ‘ off the back of abuse victims. I called you out on it. What fkn bias are you talking about ? You seriously expect, in the coverage of this story and the systemic abuse of tens of thousands of children, that was ultimately the states responsibility, that it should be mentioned in all reports that a terrorist organisation held Kangaroo courts in an attempt to suppress child abuse by members in their organisation. ?? Please tell me your high.. these couldn’t be non drug induced rational thought’s your having..
It’s about time!
Code for – If you challenge the government they will censor you.
Ps.. Will anyone be sacked or resign over:
A. 335K Bike hotel
B. Disgusting slur v Irish culture and heritage
????
Hot air to start with the tech firms gdp is higher than irelands and secondly the government have kept them here by offering low tax incentives
have your say