Cork TD expresses concern over social media influence on teenagers

IRELAND should fundamentally change the approach to regulating certain social media content, giving priority to the mental health of young people, said Cork North West TD Michael Creed.

he Cork North West TD made his comments in the light of recent revelations that Facebook had purposely hidden disturbing research on how teenagers felt worse after using its products

Deputy Creed calls for transformative regulation that puts security and transparency at the forefront of our approach to these challenges.

He spoke after the revelations by former Facebook employee Frances Haugen, who leaked tens of thousands of internal company documents after becoming frustrated that Facebook did not publicly acknowledge the harm its platforms could cause.

“The detrimental effects of toxic social comparisons on the mental health of young people, especially teenage girls, confirm what many parents have increasingly suspected of their own children in recent years.

“The CEO of Facebook has made lawmakers an obligation to offer young people a safer environment. We should take up this challenge now and leave social media companies no choice but to put child safety online above profit and engagement. “

Recognizing the progress being made in this area both domestically and in Europe, Deputy Creed said the legislative response needed to be faster and much more robust.

“In Ireland, the online safety and media regulation bill before the Oireachtas is a small first step in creating an online safety officer. In Europe, the Digital Services Act takes transparency requirements a step further by requiring regulators to disclose details about their services, algorithms and content moderation practices.

But they have not yet been passed, nor do they go far enough to tackle the root of the problem through punishment for harm and in-depth best practices. “

Deputy Creed said Ireland should take the bolder immediate step to become a world leader in protecting children’s online safety.

“Australia and Germany have shown that tackling online bullying and hate speech can be tough and novel measures that put the burden back on business.

“Similarly, we should put in place a system that would give companies 24 hours after receiving a complaint to remove infringing content or face a hefty fine, similar to that under the General Data Protection Regulation.

“Introducing such a model in Ireland would require careful consideration of the types of content that need to be regulated, but it would also serve to focus our efforts in this country on how our children can be affected by their use of social media .

“Ultimately, the mental health of our children is at stake. Time is of the essence, ”said Deputy Creed.

Comments are closed.