Adults urged to examine social media use as 5m view video of assault on teenager

Prof James O’Higgins Norman said adults need to be more conscious of what they share online. File photo 

An anti-bullying expert has urged adults to examine how they use social media, as the video of an unprovoked assault on a teenager in Navan has received over 5m views.

The majority of views are due to the video being shared by adults on social media, according to Unesco chair on bullying and cyber-bullying, and director of Dublin City University’s anti-bullying centre, Professor James O’Higgins Norman.

The 14-year-old was walking home from school on Monday when he was attacked by several boys, and a “stomach-churning” video of the incident was circulated online. The assault is currently under investigation by gardaí, who said the boy suffered “serious facial injuries”.

Calls are increasing for the Government to step up its efforts to crack down on the sharing of such content online, and there are also demands on social media companies to take action.

 “The majority of people who shared the video were adults, and so we need to look at ourselves as adults and how we use social media and be a bit more conscious about what we share, and should we be sharing it," said Prof O’Higgins Norman.

The bottom line is that everyone should be thinking that the person at the centre of that is a child, who has a right to their privacy.

“Are we becoming de-sensitised to situations that in the past would have horrified us?”

Echoing Prof O'Higgins Norman remarks, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCCC) said that it was disappointing that the video of an attack is still circulating. 

"Currently we're just not set up in terms of being able to compel social media companies to remove such content in a timely manner, and [when] we do have the online safety commissioner in place, they will have powers to do that, so that's really positive," said Head of policy and public affairs manager with the ISPCC, Fiona Jennings.

Ms Jennings said people often people come across something online which shocks them "and in order perhaps to share their empathy or to empathise with those particular things they share them.

"But in fact, that's actually feeding the algorithm that promotes and amplifies this content, which in turn actually brings it to a wider audience," she told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.

'Sick individuals'

Speaking on RTÉ, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar condemned the Navan attack and hit out at “sick individuals” who film videos of such incidents.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar hit out at 'sick individuals' who film videos of such incidents. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

He said he will reach out to the family involved, and called for the parents of the perpetrators to take responsibility for their actions.

“The young man who was in that video. I really feel for him. He shouldn’t have been subjected to that violence. He shouldn’t have been humiliated by having that video posted online.”

Mr Varadkar added that he has some insight into how the child at the centre of the video must be feeling.

“I grew up in 1980s, 1990s Ireland," he said. "I had a great childhood but, ultimately, I was the brown guy with the funny name, who a lot of people suspected was gay.

It is a very sick kind of individual that posts pictures or videos with the purpose of humiliating other people.

Education Minister Norma Foley strongly condemned the attack, and said her department will provide support such as access to the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) for the student.

“I think it’s nothing short of shocking and appalling. This should never have happened,” Ms Foley said.

BelongTo, the national organisation supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI+) young people, is calling on the Government to urgently introduce hate crime and hate speech legislation “to send a clear message that homophobia, biphobia, and transphobia, is not acceptable”.

The organisation also wants “a clear roadmap from Government on how to tackle the rise in discrimination and hate targeting minority communities”.

“The rise in anti-LGBTQ+ violence we have witnessed across Ireland over the past 18 months is deeply distressing," it said.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin described the video as “stomach-churning”.

“The country is sickened and very disturbed by this shocking attack on a young boy," he said.

There has been increased violence against our LGBTI community in the country, which is quite disturbing.

Speaking in the Dáil, the Tánaiste said progress has been made on the online safety commissioner, however he did not have a timeline for when it would be up and running.

“It will have very, very important work to do to prevent online violence, online bullying that has become a phenomenon,” he said.

Mr Martin said there must be a more rapid response from social media companies in removing such videos.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said there must be a more rapid response from social media companies in removing videos. Picture: Dan Linehan

Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said he was “utterly disgusted and sickened to the core” to see the video of the attack in Navan. 

Claiming that there is a “disturbing rise” in these attacks for online circulation, Mr Doherty said: “Many have warned that this is leading to a rise in violence on our streets and indeed in our communities. 

"It is clear that social media companies are not doing enough to root out this violent content from their platforms.

“If I was the parent of that young child I don’t know how I’d be able to deal with not being able to go on social media without seeing your son being attacked in that vicious way.”