Online Safety: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-26 ============================================================ Shane Curley (FF), Cultural and Educational Panel I am glad to be bringing this motion today together with my party colleagues. Fianna Fáil is committed to making the online world safer for everyone, especially children and young people. We are at a pivotal moment in our digital transformation. Artificial intelligence is reshaping how we live, work, learn and interact as a society. Ireland has strong digital foundations and a well-earned reputation as a global digital hub. Growing up online offers extraordinary opportunity. Our young people can learn, create, connect and innovate in ways previous generations never could. Alongside these opportunities come very real risks that can have devastating consequences. Generative AI holds enormous promise in healthcare, accessibility and enterprise but it is also being misused to create non-consensual intimate images, to produce harmful and extremist content and to exploit children and vulnerable individuals. The sharing of non-consensual intimate images is illegal. The generation of child sexual abuse material is illegal. The abuse of digital tools to harass or intimidate is illegal but enforcement and deterrence must keep pace with technological change. Ireland's online safety framework is strong. The Digital Services Act has ended the era of self-regulation. Coimisiún na Meán now has real supervisory and enforcement powers. The online safety code places obligations on platforms to remove harmful content and implement age assurance measures. In my own constituency, I recently worked closely with Aoife Noone, founder of Think Smart Cyber, who hosted excellent online safety talks in Loughrea and Athenry. Those events brought together parents, teachers, a detective garda from the Garda National Cyber Crime Bureau, and a child and adolescent therapist. There is a reason Aoife is packing ballrooms all over Galway with frightened parents. What strikes me most is the fear that has gripped parents throughout my constituency. Parents want practical tools. They want clarity on threats like online grooming, algorithm-driven content and excessive screen time. They want to understand how social media affects the developing brain. Parents are petrified of the danger of online bullying, which has tragically cost many young lives. We need to get tougher on social media companies. When harmful content is reported, it needs to be removed instantly, not days later when extensive damage is done. Many parents do not feel equipped to navigate the online environments their children inhabit. We must support them. Ireland will soon assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Online safety will be a priority. That gives us a significant opportunity to shape Europe's digital future. We must be strong voice in Europe for a digital economy that supports innovation and competitiveness while protecting fundamental rights. In particular, we must prioritise the protection of women and children from the misuse of digital tools. That includes advocating for the addition of AI-generated intimate abuse images to the list of prohibited practices under Article 5 of the EU AI Act. Age verification is important to provide proportionate safeguards. If platforms profit from user engagement, they must accept responsibility for ensuring children are not exposed to pornography, extreme violence, grooming or algorithm-driven harmful content. These systems must be secure, privacy-preserving and trusted. If Ireland is to position itself as a centre of excellence in digital regulation, we must build systems that citizens have confidence in. Many young people now receive their first smartphone before their teenage years. They spend hours each day on platforms engineered for engagement. Some have devices in their bedrooms without parental controls. Exposure to violent content, extremist narratives and distorted body image messaging is increasingly common. This is why this motion is timely. It recognises both the opportunity and the risk. It calls for full implementation of Digital Ireland's objectives, strengthened regulatory frameworks, and the prioritising of children and young people in our digital policy. Ireland's Presidency must reflect our ambition to be at the forefront of digital innovation and at the forefront of digital responsibility. We can be pro-innovation and pro-safety. We can support enterprise and protect fundamental rights. We can lead Europe, not just in digital competitiveness but in digital ethics. The digital transformation is not slowing down. AI is not going away. Social media is not disappearing. Let us ensure that Ireland leads with confidence, clarity and a commitment to protecting the most vulnerable while enabling opportunity for all. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-26/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-02-26