Richard Hogan: Why was Alex McCartney able to use Snapchat in his deplorable actions?

We need sophisticated digital literacy in schools as a matter of urgency. We also have to hold Snapchat and all the other social media platforms to account

Richard Hogan. Photograph Moya Nolan

The name Alexander McCartney should be on the lips of every parent. An unremarkable man, by all accounts, who perpetrated some of the most vile and depraved acts of sexual abuse on children since the arrival of social media platforms. 

While we take comfort in knowing he is behind bars for at least 20 years, the reality remains; he is not an outlier. As much as we would like to think he is a breach in nature, a bogeyman, unfortunately there are many more Alexander McCartney’s operating online at this very moment.