Irish Examiner view: We must keep kids safe online

Wed, 10 Dec, 2025 - 01:00

Minister for communications Patrick O’Donovan briefed his Cabinet colleagues yesterday on plans to keep children safe online, a move which comes in the wake of a significant step taken by Australian legislators.

A new law introduced in that country will ban children under the age of 16 from having certain social media accounts — the likes of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok are among those covered by the new laws.

Here in Ireland, the minister was briefing other members of the Government on plans to introduce a pilot programme shortly — a ‘digital wallet’ which would verify the age of social media users, as well as a plan to legislate for this measure to be applied more widely next year.

It is worth stating immediately that any move to limit children’s access to social media platforms is welcome. Social media companies have abused their access to children and their data and there have been repeated instances of unauthorised use of children’s personal information.

The practicalities of the digital wallet involve using the existing MyGovID online identity system.

Similar initiatives are being planned in other European countries, but while the Irish version is just one step in the Government’s plans for an age limit on social media, Mr O’Donovan said an Australian-type ban was being “held in reserve” for now.

He also threw down the gauntlet, adding: “If there are tech companies that want to push back against protecting children online, I’d love to hear it.”

The minister surely does not imagine that such statements will shame tech companies into acquiescence. Going by their reaction to the Australian ban we can expect them to go on the offensive and to resist these measures strongly.

Their tactics may include claims that the measures affect their own rights to operate freely, or increase risks to children — or they may question the technical efficiency of the digital wallet itself.

We passed the point when such companies could be shamed into acting to protect the safety of children long ago, and it is hard to imagine they will begin to do so now.

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Fota Wildlife Park deserves our support

Good news for the many fans of Fota Wildlife Park, which is to reopen on December 20 following a shutdown for 10 weeks due to an outbreak of bird flu.

The park had to close its doors to visitors on October 14 after 11 confirmed cases of H5N1 bird flu, and more than 70 birds have since been euthanised.

The fact that the wildlife park will welcome the public through its doors a few days before Christmas is particularly poignant, given how strongly many people associate the holiday season with Fota.

The last few months have been very challenging for the East Cork venue. It must continue to maintain enhanced biosecurity measures and monitoring protocols, for instance, even now that all of the birds in Fota have been tested twice for avian influenza, with all results negative.

The financial impact of closure has also been significant, with Fota facing a weekly bill of €120,000 during the closure. The park appealed for public support during that period, and there was a welcome development in recent days with the announcement of government funding to support Fota when the minister for nature, heritage and biodiversity, Christopher O’Sullivan, announced support worth €700,000 towards the facility’s biodiversity conservation programmes.

These are positive signs for the well-loved wildlife park, and Fota director Aileen Tennant was warm in her thanks for Government support this week. However, she also said: “We are asking the public to continue their long-standing support for Fota Wildlife Park. Please consider donating, purchasing gift vouchers, sponsoring an animal, or pre-booking your online tickets today... The support from our annual pass holders, stakeholders, and the public has been overwhelming, and we’re deeply grateful for that support.”

The generosity of the park’s supporters is inarguable, but should it be necessary for Fota have to continue making such public appeals?

On a financial basis alone, it has been a cornerstone of tourism in the greater Cork region for years and would surely be an obvious candidate for robust support from the exchequer to maintain its position as a major visitor attraction. It is difficult to imagine any similar facility being allowed to shut down for almost three months without far more decisive action and direct support from the Government.

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Climate change and Storm Bram

The impact of Storm Bram was obvious to anyone who ventured out of doors yesterday, and amid the flurry of orange and yellow weather warnings we had all the familiar signs of a winter storm.

For instance, at one point at least 22,000 homes and businesses were without power across Cork, Tipperary, Wexford, Limerick, and Kildare.

Even the phrasing of the ESB’s statements about repairs — that crews were working “where it is safe to do so” — is now sadly familiar.

These markers show that damaging winter storms are now an accepted part of Irish life. The increasing severity and frequency of those storms are a powerful counter-argument to those who do not accept them as some of the more obvious manifestations of climate change.

Whether one does or does not accept the reality of science, however, everyone would do well to bear in mind the Irish Coast Guard’s advice at times of such severe weather, no matter where they are: “Stay back, stay high, stay dry.”

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