Social media platforms 'not willing to take responsibility' protecting children online - Digital Youth Council

The Oireachtas is calling for a digital safety commissioner to help protect children online.

Its Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs is making recommendations in a new report.

It also thinks several laws should be changed to clamp down on Internet offences.

Harry McCann, of the Digital Youth Council, says some social media companies are not taking the issue seriously enough.

He said: "The committee did call on people from Snapchat and Instagram to sit down and speak with them and they didn't.

"I think that is quite interesting especially because there are so many young people on those platforms, primarily young people go to those platforms when using social media.

I think that shows that they are not willing to take responsibility.

Committee Member Anne Rabbitte says a safety commissioner would help.

She said: "A person, a department that would oversee how content is put up and taken down on social media, a regulatory body that would enforce or set guidelines that parameters to how the various tech companies can operate and also how children and vulnerable adults are protected on social media."

Anne Rabbitte.

- Digital Desk