‘Social Media has destroyed social conscience’ Lowry tells Dáil

"The sheer power of Social Media has destroyed social conscience. More and more, it is responsible for wiping out respect and basic human values" was the strong message from Tipperary Independent TD, Michael Lowry, when he delivered an address scathing of the neglect by social media giants to protect children online.

"Social Media has become the scourge of our times. It is a 24/7 presence and it is saturating the minds of people of all ages. It is destroying lives and we seem powerless to stop it" Deputy Lowry told the Dáil on Wednesday.

"It has become common for people to record tragic events for the sole purpose of sharing or threatening to share them on Social Media", he said.

He referred to the recent case in Cork where a distraught mother witnessed people callously filming her son’s final moments as he died as a result of drowning.

"Road tragedies, injured victims, those suffering shock and in distress, people crying out for help, have all had their anguish and fear reduced to a public online spectacle. Emergency responders have also frequently spoken out about the heartless behaviour of onlookers who turned a tragedy into a click-bait opportunity," he said.

"It is not only incidents like these that find their way into the public domain. Violent brawls, racist attacks, abusive actions, and bullying incidents are also considered fair game for recording. Blackmail is commonly used to threaten the victims who live in fear of the content being made public, or sent to families or authorities.

"The grief and torment that these threats can cause is incalculable. Many victims are blackmailed for money. Others are coerced into illegal or unsavoury actions in order to buy the silence of their tormentors. Either way, the holder of the recording holds the trump card and the victim is rendered powerless to escape their clutches.

"Our impressionable children and young people, who are growing up in a world that is dominated by Social Media, are being bombarded by inappropriate content that is becoming more easily accessible all the time.

"The harsh reality is that, nowadays, absolutely nothing is deemed off limits" he stated.

"Coimisiún na Meán has established a much-welcomed Online Safety Code, which is designed to ensure that Social Media platforms put in place measures to prevent the uploading and sharing of harmful content.

"Minister, can you outline what their brief covers? Are there provisions included that can offer support and protection from blackmail and bullying that originates from online activity?" he queried.

Agreeing with Deputy Lowry, Minister Jack Chambers said that it’s a failure of basic human decency to take the view that Social Media clout is more important than the dignity and privacy of someone in extreme distress.

The Minister added: "When this type of content is posted, there is very real harm done. It compounds the grief, and there is a very real risk that someone close to the victim of an accident could find out through online coverage. We now repeatedly hear the message from the Garda Siochana that such footage should not be circulated.

"The online media platforms have a role to play in removing such content as soon as possible. A new powerful regulator, Comisiún na Meán, was established in the last Government to enforce accountability in the sector. Platforms are required to assess content and decide if it is illegal and or breach of the platforms terms and conditions. If a platform fails to apply these conditions, the Comisiún can take action as appropriate", the Minister said.

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"As provided for under the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, the Comisiún adopted and applied a new Online Safety Code for designated Online Media platforms established in Ireland, including Facebook, Tik Tok, Instragam and X, which sets out what the platforms must do to protect users. In particular, they are obliged to protect children from harmful online content and provide parental controls.

"Significant public funding was provided to support these measures, including increasing staff from 40 members to 200. Also, depending on the nature of the content posted, it may constitute a criminal offence", he said.