Schools must educate on dangers of TikTok, says Tánaiste

Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said that he primary school curriculum must be overhauled to include education on the dangers of TikTok and other online platforms.

The primary school curriculum must be overhauled to include education on the dangers of TikTok and other online platforms, Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said.

Mr Martin made the comments after TikTok was fined €345m by Ireland’s data watchdog following an investigation into how the social media giant has been processing children’s data.

He said the findings of the investigation into TikTok’s approach to privacy settings for children are “very serious” and “concerning”.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, he said wider issues of online safety and cyberbullying must now be taught in schools.

“I think it has to be integrated very, very quickly into the SPHE programme,” said Mr Martin, adding that banning phones in school, as has been raised by Education Minister Norma Foley, will not work on its own.

“I would also favour a more structured approach where we create templates whereby parents, teachers, and children together work through these issues with children. We really have to make children aware of the dangers.”

Mr Martin used the example of St Patrick’s School in Rochestown, Cork, where external support was obtained from a psychologist to develop a ‘school contract’ around phone use, which included making both children and their parents aware of the dangers of social media and mobile phones.

There’s two questions; there’s the specific issue with TikTok and particularly the idea of allowing access of adults to children, that would be quite a shocking development. But there’s a broader issue in terms of how we navigate the technological space more generally.

“All technology has inherent challenges and dangers in terms of privacy, in terms of access, particularly for young people and children. We have to be very vigilant in respect of protecting children, and that the regulatory framework is tough enough to ensure that all of the platforms realise the centrality of protecting children online.”

No confidence votes

Speaking in New York, where he will attend the UN this week, the Tánaiste also addressed last week’s vote of no confidence in Garda Commissioner Drew Harris by frontline gardaí. Mr Martin warned against allowing future votes of no confidence, saying it sets a “dangerous” precedent.

Rank-and-file Garda members voted overwhelmingly that they have no confidence in Garda Commissioner Harris, by a margin of 98.7%, according to ballots from the Garda Representative Association.

“I’m not comfortable with the idea that we’re moving into a space where there are ballots in relation to confidence in, for example, the Garda Commissioner or, indeed, in other organisations, the chief executive officer.

“We’ve tried and trusted means of recruiting people to very significant and important positions in Irish life. It sets a dangerous precedent if we go down the road of saying that we can, every now and again, have a vote of confidence in not just the gardaí but all organisations.”

Mr Martin said a significant focus in New York will be “turning the dial” on the way the world has been going, with hunger, climate, and war all being cited.

"I'm very alarmed at where the world is right now where it's crisis after crisis, mainly caused by conflict, by climate, and we do need to generate a renewed sense of urgency collectively, in terms of implementing the reforms in respect of sustainable development goals."