A proposed law would see parents fined for allowing their children unlimited internet access on mobile devices.
Draft legislation is being drawn up by the Oireachtas Committee on Children and Youth Affairs which would make it illegal for phone shops to sell phones with internet access to children under 14.
Fine Gael TD Jim Daly is behind the proposal, which will be completed within weeks. The legislation hopes to protect children by disabling their access to adult content and online bullies and predators. Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) called internet habits 'the single greatest threat to children in our time'.
Daly said this law was just like other child safety curbs on retailers selling products to children. He said children are "protected from things like sunbeds by law, just like alcohol [and] tobacco” but there was “no regulation whatsoever of what children can watch on the internet”.
A retailer caught selling a device to a child would be subject to a fine of up to €100. The draft legislation is expected to be debated before the Dáil summer recess.
Experts in cyber security and online bullying have reservations over the effectiveness of such a law.
“I would support the idea of encouraging parents to be more active in their children’s lives online, certainly, but I don’t think legislation effectively banning usage would be a positive thing,” said James O'Higgins Norman, head of the Anti-Bullying Centre at DCU.
Speaking to the Irish Times, he said: “Firstly, it would negatively impact on children’s tech skills, and it would also push children’s online activity underground. That would make them less likely to talk to adults if and when they experienced difficulties.”
Cliona Curley is programme director at CyberSafeIreland and an expert in cyber crime investigation. She too disagreed and warned about prohibiting a child's internet use without proper education on the potential consequences of internet use. She told the Sun: "If you go down the road of restriction, you can drive the activity underground.
"Kids aren’t going to suddenly become safe online at a certain age. Parents need to be part of the process and need to be empowering their kids to deal with what you have to deal with online."
What do you think, mums? Is the state overreaching its power, or is this a necessary measure? Let us know below.
