Background
The Internet has revolutionised the modern world, and in turn, the lives of children worldwide; the reality is that they make up one third of global online users and their engagement with online platforms has only increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. While the internet brings unparalleled opportunity to children to learn, create, connect and socialise it also brings unparalleled risk, including the loss of personal data, exposure to harmful content, cyberbullying, negative impacts on health, well-being, online grooming and extortion. Most children and young people accessing the digital world have enjoyable and positive experiences. They use the online world to maintain friendships, have fun, support their education and learn about their world. At the same time, the digital world can pose serious threats to the development and protection of children and young people. The Government must ensure the online world is safer for children and young people. It is also important that children and young people are educated and empowered to help them stay safe online.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill
The Government’s General Scheme for the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill was published on 10 January 2020. Through the pre-legislative scrutiny, our campaign advocated for critical changes to be made to better protect children online. You can read our submission to the General Scheme here and watch our appearance at the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media here.
The #123OnlineSafety Campaign is calling for key changes to ensure the legislation is fit for purpose and works to create a safer, more positive online environment for children and young people. These include::
- Online Safety Commissioner: The establishment of an Online Safety Commissioner that is adequately resourced, with appropriate ring-fenced funding and staffing, and granted robust statutory powers to sanction companies who do not comply with timebound codes for the protection of children and young people online that are in line with fair procedures.
- Education remit: The provision that the Online Safety Commissioner is given the power to evaluate and regulate educational and community awareness programmes on online safety.
- Individual Complaints Mechanism: The provision for an individual complaints mechanism to ensure that children and young people whose rights are not respected by the online providers and who have exhausted all appropriate channels with the relevant platform, have access to an effective remedy.
The Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill was published in January 2022. You can read the Children’s Rights Alliance Analysis of the Bill here. The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport, Gaeltacht and Media announced the establishment of an expert group to further consider the inclusion of an individual complaints mechanism. The campaign’s submission to the expert group can be accessed here.
Resources
Submission to the expert group on an Individual Complaints Mechanism
Children's Rights Alliance Analysis of the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill
Individual Complaints Mechanism Visual
Online Safety Individual Complaints Mechanism Concept Paper
Online Safety Regulation in Other Jurisdictions
The 1,2,3 of Online Safety Campaign is kindly supported by The Community Foundation for Ireland via the RTÉ does Comic Relief Fund. #RTEComicRelief #123OnlineSafety
The campaign unites 18 member organisations leading in online safety, digital rights and youth participation unite to push for critical changes in the area. Members include Alcohol Action Ireland, Barretstown, Barnardos, BeLonG To, CyberSafeKids, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, Foróige, Irish Heart Foundation, ISPCC, National Youth Council of Ireland, One in Four, Psychological Society of Ireland, Rape Crisis Network Ireland, Safe Ireland, Scouting Ireland, SpunOut.ie, Women's Aid and Young Social Innovators.
