‘Real and escalating’ online danger to children as voluntary regulation falls short, teachers warn

In her opening address to 900 delegates at the first day of the Irish National Teachers’ Orgnisation (INTO) annual congress in Killarney, president Anne Horan said schools are increasingly dealing with the consequences of online harm. Picture: Moya Nolan

Voluntary approaches to online regulation have not addressed the “real and escalating” danger to children from online harm as teachers face disproportionate levels of abuse, primary school teachers have warned.

In her opening address to 900 delegates at the first day of the Irish National Teachers’ Orgnisation (INTO) annual congress in Killarney, president Anne Horan said schools are increasingly dealing with the consequences of online harm.

At the union’s congress last year, teachers expressed “profound concern” at the scale of children’s access to adult and age-inappropriate content on social media platforms, said Ms Horan.

“They highlighted the lack of rigour in age verification systems and the mounting body of evidence linking exposure to harmful online content with poor mental health outcomes for children.” 

In January, the INTO convened a online safety roundtable with leading experts, including Coimisiún na Meán, Webwise, CyberSafeKids, and academic specialists in digital safety.

“That engagement reinforced our view that voluntary approaches have not kept pace with technological change or with the risks now facing children and school communities,” said Ms Horan.

“Issues that originate outside the school gate are manifesting inside classrooms, affecting behaviour, learning, relationships, and overall wellbeing.

“Teachers are often placed at the frontline of managing the impact of harm that they did not create and do not have the ability to regulate.”

Online safety is not solely an education issue, she added. "It is a whole-of-society challenge requiring co-ordinated action across government, regulators, platform providers, and civil society."

Deployment of AI

The rapid deployment of AI-enabled systems has intensified these risks, said Ms Horan.

“Teachers, school leaders, women, and minority groups are also experiencing disproportionate levels of online abuse and harassment, much of which originates on or is amplified by poorly regulated platforms.

“These developments undermine safeguarding efforts and place new and unacceptable burdens on schools and teachers. "

The INTO is calling for comprehensive guidelines and guardrails for teachers, as well as a national taskforce.

"We are calling for this issue to form part of the forthcoming convention on education, given the clear impact of online harm on learning, teaching, and school life."

"Young people must also be central to this conversation."

Education Minister Hildegarde Naughton is expected to face primary school teachers in Killarney on Tuesday morning.

Ms Naughton has been in her post for 20 "underwhelming" weeks so far, said Ms Horan, making it "high time" to demonstrate any vision she may have for primary and special education.

Class sizes

The INTO is also not letting go of its quest to bring class sizes in line with the European average of 19:1 after three disappointing budgets, claimed Ms Horan.

"We will bring forward a national, grassroots campaign to secure the class-size reductions which this Government promised in its programme.

“We will no longer tolerate overcrowded classes in our primary schools.”

A typical mainstream class now includes children with sensory, emotional, behavioural, and physical needs, pupils impacted by trauma or homelessness, children displaced by war, those with medical conditions; and children with anxiety and dysregulation, she said.

"All these pupils are in one overcrowded classroom. All are entitled to attention, but few are receiving it. They and their teachers are being let down by Government."

• Jess Casey is Education Correspondent.