It's crystal clear that an unregulated digital world carries far too many risks for the young
Digging a little deeper, Irish people were more sanguine than the average European about how digital rights and principles were applied, with almost half of those questioned in Ireland (49%) being satisfied compared to a European average of 42%. And yet, for those who care for and work for and with children, and have seen the harms that can occur, it is crystal clear that the digital world carries far too many risks for children and young people.
Regulating tech platforms to produce systems and material that do not harm children is an ongoing topic at both Irish government and regulator level, and at EU level too. Now, in this second half of July, some important advances have been made.
After long deliberations, the European Commission issued guidelines on Monday, July 14, to a wide number of tech platforms setting out how they are to apply EU legislation – particularly the Digital Services Act – to better protect children and young people from engaging with illegal and harmful content online.
While the Act was there already, these guidelines are more practical, more precise, with clearer emphasis on ensuring children's human rights and equality are respected. They emphasise that platforms must identify how risky their content is to children, and then take practical and workable steps so that children don't access it.
They will have to ensure that their recommender systems – which control things like the 'For You' function on apps – is stricter for young people on the company's site. They must have practical, effective age assurance systems to stop children from accessing inappropriate content.
In a nutshell, the privacy, safety and security of the child and their best interest is to be central to the platform's consideration.
Meanwhile back at home, the second and final section of Coimisiún na Meán's Online Safety Code comes into effect today. This applies to a smaller number of companies but includes some of the largest social media companies, which have their European headquarters in Ireland.
Those companies have had obligations under the first part of the Online Safety Code since last November which meant that they were obliged to take steps to protect children and young people from content which could "impair their physical mental or moral development".
The second part of the code, going live today, puts specific obligations on companies to effectively prevent children from accessing adult-only content such as pornography and to have good parental control and flagging systems.
While we would want to see the regulators playing a much stronger role in enforcing uniform, high safety standards, rather than each platform setting its own rules, these requirements will mean that there will be better protections for children and young people using these online platforms/services.
At the end of the day, that is progress.
While tech companies, for the most part, will say that they welcome fair regulation, there is some restiveness. Coimisiún na Meán, the Irish regulator, has had to issue a formal notice to X – formerly Twitter - to say that it's not satisfied with the information X has submitted about the protection of young people on its platform.
And the same company is challenging the regulator about whether the entire code should apply to it at all.
A step forward
These regulatory changes come with few fireworks and clashing cymbals, but they need to be acknowledged. They are a step forward. They also need to be widely known.
They will have to be monitored and implemented by Coimisiún na Meán but the rest of us – caregivers, educators, child rights organisations and advocates - will also need to know what's there to highlight discrepancies, to complain about breaches, to require the tech platforms to be a bit more responsible for children's safety.
We will also have to continue to highlight that while technology is with us and brings great benefits to everyone including children and young people, tech platforms and those who are in the business of making sometimes extraordinary profits from selling their digital products and advertising to us, must do it in a way that is decent and fair.
We will need to be a lot less complacent than the recent survey shows we have been about the welfare and rights of our children.
And we will need to continue to insist that our government and our regulators continue to scrutinise the tech industry to ensure the safety and rights of children and young people in Ireland in this, our digital world.
Noeline Blackwell is the Online Safety Co-Ordinator with the Children's Rights Alliance
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
24 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
ECB leaves interest rates unchanged as it assesses impact of Trump tariffs
The European Central Bank has left interest rates unchanged as it waits to see how big a blow US President Donald Trump's tariffs will inflict on the economy before deciding whether to cut rates again. The bank's governing council announced on Thursday at its headquarters in Frankfurt that it would leave its benchmark deposit rate at 2%. 'The economy has so far proven resilient overall in a challenging global environment,' said bank president Christine Lagarde at her post-decision news conference. 'At the same time, the environment remains exceptionally uncertain, especially because of trade disputes.' The ECB has already cut rates eight times since June of last year and Ms Lagarde said after the last policy meeting on June 5 that the central bank is 'getting to the end of a monetary policy cycle'. US President Donald Trump sent the EU a letter informing officials of a potential 30% tariff (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP) The monetary authority for the 20 countries that use the euro currency has been lowering rates to support growth after raising them in 2022-2023 to snuff out inflation caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the rebound after the pandemic. With the benchmark rate now at 2%, down from a record high of 4%, analysts think there could be one more rate cut coming, but only in September. The reason, say analysts: The ECB's policymakers simply do not know the outcome of talks between the EU's executive commission and the Trump administration. Mr Trump first set a 20% tariff for EU goods, then threatened 50% after expressing displeasure at the pace of talks, then sent the EU a letter informing officials of a potential 30% tariff. EU officials earlier held out hope of winning at least the 10% baseline that applies to almost all trade partners, and analysts think the actual rate may be lower than Mr Trump's tariff threats. The talks are up against an August 1 deadline, but earlier deadlines have slipped as the sides kept talking. With signs of economic activity holding up reasonably well, the ECB can afford to wait and see what the outcome of trade negotiations will be. Higher tariffs, or import taxes, on European goods would mean sellers would have to either increase prices for US consumers – risking loss of market share – or swallow the added cost in terms of lower profits. In either case, higher tariffs would hurt export earnings for European firms and slow the economy, which would strengthen the case for another rate cut in September. The ECB's rate cuts have helped support economic activity by lowering the cost of credit for consumers and businesses to purchase goods. Higher rates have the opposite effect and are used to cool off inflation by reducing demand for goods. Growth in the eurozone was relatively strong at 0.6% in the first quarter – though that was partly thanks to rushed shipments of goods trying to beat the tariffs. Inflation has fallen from double digits in late 2022 to 2% in June, in line with the ECB's target. A stronger euro, which lowers the price of imports, and softer global prices for oil have helped keep inflation moderate. The stronger euro, up 13% this year at 1.17 dollars, has attracted attention as a potential damper on growth and ECB vice president Luis de Guindos said any rapid moves over 1.20 dollars could be 'much more complicated'. But the ECB typically does not target the exchange rate, and the euro's rise is considered to be less the result of Europe's strength and more the result of a weaker dollar weighed down by investor uncertainty about the future path of inflation, growth and government debt in the US.
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
What would a 15% tariff deal mean for Ireland?
The US and the European Union are closing in on a trade deal, reports suggests, centred on a tariff of 15 per cent to apply on EU imports into the US market. Given that this news emerged only hours after other reports that the talks were in trouble and the EU was preparing more powerful retaliation, we need to be careful. There still seems some way to go in these talks. This could be an emerging deal. Or it could all look very different in a few days time – or even a few hours time. But what would a deal like this mean for Ireland? READ MORE It avoids a trade war The biggest plus for Ireland, and the EU in general, it that it avoids an all-out fight between the two sides, where US President Donald Trump goes ahead with his threatened tariffs of 30 per cent by August 1st and the EU responds. [ EU backs potential counter-tariffs on €93bn of US goods if no deal Opens in new window ] This could quickly have escalated and, as well as a hit to trade in goods, Ireland would worry that the EU might – using new powers which France in particular has argued should be readied- target US big digital service companies, many of which have their European headquarters in Ireland Many tariff levels may not change much from where they are now and some may fall There were tariffs on EU imports into the US before Trump came to office this time – averaging 4.8 per cent. The 10 per cent tariffs which Trump applied back in April were in addition to these existing ones. Reports now suggest, however, that the 15 per cent could be a total – in other words it is not in addition to tariffs which applied before. How will the updated National Development Plan shape Ireland in years to come? Listen | 35:59 The best way of illustrating this is to look at one of Ireland's big exports to the US – butter. Brands like Kerrygold had already faced a 16 pent cent tariff entering the US. This rose to around 26 per cent in April. adding Trump's 10 per cent. Were a 15 per cent tariff to apply – and not be added to what was historically in place – the import tax on butter would fall back to 15 per cent, roughly where it was before Trump came to office. [ EU moves towards accepting 15% tariff as price of deal Opens in new window ] Other sectors – engineering, industrial products, soft drink concentrates and so on will also be doing their sums, when the full detail becomes clear. There is a long way to go, however, before all this becomes clear. Some areas may get 'carve-outs' The reports suggest that some areas may get special treatment, with lower or no tariffs. These include areas which are important to Ireland – aircraft, spirits and medical devices. Were this to form part of the final deal, that would be good news. Pharma uncertainty may remain Carve-outs are not all positive. Potential tariffs on pharma are part of a separate group of import charges, different from the so-called 'reciprocal' tariffs which are central to the trade talks. The EU might be hoping – like the UK – to get a mention in the deal of potential preferential treatment in this separate process. But Trump is likely to push ahead with measures to try to relocate pharma investment, so this will remain an economic risk for Ireland even if a 15 per cent deal is done. [ ECB set to hold interest rates with Trump tariffs unresolved Opens in new window ] Tariffs cost growth and jobs Higher tariffs will cost jobs and growth, but working out the impact is impossible before seeing the full details of a deal and also understanding what is going to happen to the pharma sector. Research by the ESRI and Department of Finance in March suggested that a 10 per cent additional tariff could result in economic output being 2 per cent lower in 4 years time, and leave employment around 45,000 lower. However, a hit to the pharma sector could have further knock-ons not only to jobs but also corporate tax. This will all have to be factored in to the calculations for October's budget.
Sunday World
2 hours ago
- Sunday World
Hungary bans Kneecap from entering country over ‘antisemitic hate speech'
Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment Hungarian authorities have banned Irish rap group Kneecap from entering the country to perform at the Sziget Festival, accusing the band of using antisemitic hate speech and praising the Hamas militant group, a government spokesperson said on Thursday. "Hungary's government has moved to ban Kneecap from entering the country and performing at Sziget ... citing antisemitic hate speech and open praise for Hamas and Hezbollah as justification," government spokesperson Zoltan Kovacs wrote in a post on X. Kovacs later posted the official letters from immigration authorities banning the band for three years, claiming that their entry would "seriously threaten national security". In May, member Mo Chara was charged with a terrorism offence in Britain for allegedly displaying a flag in support of Iran-backed Hezbollah. He denies the offence. Representatives of Kneecap did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The band has said previously that its members do not support Hamas or Hezbollah, and that it condemns "all attacks on civilians, always". Hungary's government had already asked festival organisers to drop Kneecap from the line-up at the week-long event, which draws several hundred thousand music lovers to an island in the River Danube each year. More than 150 artists and cultural figures, including Academy Award-winning director Laszlo Nemes Jeles, have also signed a petition protesting against Kneecap's participation. Sziget organisers, who said they had not been notified of the government's decision, have resisted the calls to scrap Kneecap's planned performance on August 11. "Our festival remains true to what we have consistently achieved over the past 30 years: there is no place for hatred, incitement, prejudice, or any form of racism or anti-Semitism," they said in a statement last week. Sziget's other performers this year include Post Malone, Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX.
