Latest news with #CyberSafeKids
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Irish Independent
The Big Tech Show: When is it okay to ignore a text from your boss?
JJ Clarke, producer, joins host Adrian on this week's episode of The Big Tech Show. Research conducted by CyberSafeKids in 58 DEIS and non-DEIS schools found that 53% of eight-year-olds at DEIS schools own a smartphone compared to just 22% in non-DEIS schools. The study surveyed 5,000 children. The research found that 93% of eight-year-olds from DEIS schools have created a social media account, with almost a third of 8- to 12-year-olds in DEIS schools having posted videos of themselves online. You can listen to the full episode here on the Irish Independent website or wherever you get your podcasts.
The Journal
6 days ago
- General
- The Journal
Eight-year-old schoolchildren in disadvantaged areas more than twice as likely to have a smartphone
CHILDREN ATTENDING DEIS schools are more likely to be exposed to harm online than their peers in non-Deis schools. According to newly-published research from online safety charity CyberSafeKids, children from disadvantaged areas are more likely to own a smartphone at a younger age and have less rules about online activity. The Government-funded Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (Deis) programme provides resources to schools in disadvantaged areas around the country. The research was conducted between September 2023 and February 2024, and involved 816 children aged 8-12 in 13 Deis schools, and 3,826 students in 45 non-Deis schools. It found that 53% of eight-year-olds attending Deis schools own a smartphone. For children the same age in non-Deis schools, only 22% had a smartphone. Some 46% of children in Deis schools could go online whenever they wanted compared with 31% in non-Deis schools. When looking at social media use, some 93% of eight-year-olds in Deis schools have already created a social media account, with 34% having friends and followers that they do not know. For children in non-Deis schools, these figures were 69% and 19%, respectively. Almost a third (29%) of children aged eight to 12 in Deis schools have posted videos of themselves online, in contrast to 16% of their peers who don't attend a Deis school. Advertisement Speaking on Newstalk's Pat Kenny Show this morning, CyberSafeKids CEO Alex Cooney said they were not surprised by the findings. 'We've been monitoring this over the last ten years, and we've seen that, generally speaking, there are higher levels of access in more disadvantaged communities if you compare to the general population,' Cooney said. She said that children are growing up in a digital age where society has 'established norms that children will have quite high levels of access from a young age'. 'They may have more access in those communities just because there's lower levels of parental awareness around risks, and I think we need to do a lot more to upskill all parents and make sure that there is awareness about risks that children can be exposed to in these online environments.' She also called for greater accountability from social media and tech companies 'that provide these online environments that children are going into'. 'It's not about banning children from the online world because there's lots of good things that they can be doing online, but it is about putting age appropriate access in place, putting accountability, where it needs to be upskilling parents and educating children.' Speaking to The Journal earlier this year , the Minister for Children Norma Foley said the State would not have a role in implementing any sort of smartphone ban, but she urged parents to consider it for their own homes. Last week, the Government confirmed that a tender for schools to have access to lockable phone pouches has been replaced with plans for schools to provide whatever 'phone storage solution works best for them'. The €9 million spend was among the most contentious measures announced in Budget 2025 last October . Tánaiste Simon Harris told the Dáil that this was a 'pragmatic and sensible way to proceed' and that schools would still be able to seek funding for lockable pouches or an alternative solution later this year. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Irish Independent
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Simon Harris says social media ban for under-16s under ‘serious consideration'
Simon Harris said there is a 'ticking time bomb' in relation to smartphone use for young people and has urged all political parties to work together to examine how such a ban would work in practice. Australia has recently become the first country to pass laws banning social media – including Snapchat, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X – for children under 16 years old. The laws will place the onus on social media platforms to implement the restrictions, using age-verification technology, or they will face fines. These will not come into effect for another 12 months, to allow policy makers to explore more deeply how they will work in practice. Mr Harris said that while there are some practical issues in implementing those measures, 'Australia deserves great credit'. Communications minister Patrick O'Donovan has asked his officials to examine the Australian rules and to look at what other jurisdictions are doing to protect children from online harms. 'This is an area that requires a lot more action,' Mr Harris told the Dáil. 'The era of self-regulation is over.' He said Ireland would 'not be brow beaten by anyone' in efforts to put 'a regulatory structure in place that protects our democracies, protects our people and most importantly protects our children. 'We are not where we need to be in relation to this. We do need to look at what other countries are doing.' There is a digital age of consent of 16 in Ireland, but Mr Harris said there are many 'workarounds' to it and that means an 'alarming' number of children are on social media well before that age. According to the Irish charity CyberSafeKids, a majority – 84pc of 12-year-olds – have their own social media accounts or instant messaging, despite a minimum age of 13 being in place on most popular apps. Almost all – 94pc of eight to 12-year-olds – own a smartphone device. 'This is a ticking time bomb. We do need to get serious in terms of empowering and supporting parents and tackling that FOMO [Fear of Missing Out] of 'I must do it because somebody my age also has a smart phone or is also on social media',' Mr Harris said. 'This is an area that we should act on. Very serious consideration should be given to the idea of having to be 16 before you are on social media. 'We should work constructively, across parties, perhaps with the new committee structures and the likes which exist in this house to really scrutinise this,' he said. He was responding to questions from Independent TD Paul Gogarty, who called for a citizens' convention on the issue. He said calls for regulation have not worked. 'We should seriously explore what they are doing in Australia, a liberal country, where the world's strictest laws on social media have been enacted,' Mr Gogarty said.
Observer
27-02-2025
- Health
- Observer
The digital conflict and empowering awareness
In today's rapidly evolving digital transformation, digital literacy and its active implementation have become crucial to counter the risks posed by digital influences on young people, psychologically, mentally, and morally. Modern societies face unprecedented challenges due to the widespread use of modern video games, digital platforms, and films that carry messages and content potentially detrimental to youth minds, even steering them towards terrorist and criminal organisations. A major risk lies in the impact of violent digital content that affects behaviour, emotions, and cognitive abilities. This situation calls for a scientifically and philosophically informed digital educational strategy aimed at empowering youth to understand and confront this reality. Digital influence comes from many sources and manifests negatively both individually and collectively. A recent international study published on The Australian website found a link between playing video games, especially those featuring 'loot boxes', and increased risks of gambling as well as related mental health issues. Researchers noted that purchasing these loot boxes can trigger anxiety, stress, depression, and impulsivity, factors common to other behavioural addictions, warning that children involved in buying them may later be prone to gambling problems. Similarly, a 2023 report by CyberSafeKids revealed that 65 per cent of Irish children aged 8 to 12 experienced external contact from strangers online, highlighting a lack of awareness and parental supervision regarding online safety. This deficiency raises the likelihood of children encountering harmful content or exploitation by dangerous groups. Digital platforms and video games have also become easily exploitable tools for terrorist and criminal organisations to recruit and indoctrinate young minds. These groups use virtual spaces to interact with youth, influencing their ideas and behaviours through targeted content or direct interactions, thus facilitating the recruitment of minors. Such phenomena require both societal awareness and effective tools to monitor and combat them. Furthermore, many young people, often referred to as the digital generation, rely on platforms like TikTok and YouTube as primary sources of information. This reliance exposes them to media misinformation and erroneous intellectual guidance. In this context, Jean Baudrillard's notion of 'virtual reality' becomes apparent, as the boundaries between truth and illusion blur, leaving youth vulnerable to both intentional and unintentional manipulation. Smart algorithms on these platforms can promote extremist content; a study by Egypt's Suez Canal University revealed that certain games and digital platforms broadcast ideas conflicting with societal and religious values. Additionally, research reported by Saudi's Al-Mowaten electronic newspaper found that about 30 per cent of children playing online games experience bullying, which increases social isolation and anxiety, weakening social bonds and making individuals more susceptible to external influences, including recruitment by criminal groups. Beyond the risks associated with video games, violent films or those depicting acts of terrorism can also instil unethical behaviours in young minds. A study published in PubMed found that excessive exposure to violent content correlates with higher rates of depression and aggressive behaviour among teenagers. Moreover, some films are indirectly used by extremist and criminal groups by portraying 'heroic' characters from their ranks to sway viewers ideologically, stimulate emotions, and redirect their thinking. Similar tactics are seen in some songs, music or religious-themed chants that hide subliminal psychological messages promoting non-religious ideologies. Many reports and studies indicate that terrorist groups recruit youth online, often using AI techniques to target those most addicted to digital platforms. In this context, the Italian philosopher Antonio Gramsci's ideas on 'cultural hegemony' intersect with the digital reality: the struggle to control collective consciousness is no longer limited to traditional tools but extends into virtual space, where narratives and beliefs are carefully crafted by specialised groups capable of infiltrating societies. Given this frightening scenario, it is imperative to urgently activate robust measures to confront these challenges. This starts with effective digital education, especially within families and schools, through awareness, supervision, and curricula designed to develop digital literacy and necessary defences. There is also a need to enforce digital ethics, redefining digital responsibility and its risks. Drawing on Immanuel Kant's philosophy, which emphasises duty over self-interest, governments, educational institutions, and families must work together to enhance digital awareness. Measures include restricting harmful content using AI algorithms, promoting critical education that trains youth to analyse digital content, and encouraging balanced digital usage with regulated screen time alongside cultural, social and sports programmes. Only through a threefold alliance, governments enacting strict regulations on harmful digital practices, educational institutions incorporating critical digital literacy in curricula and families raising awareness and monitoring digital activities, can the digital realm be transformed from an ideological battleground into a positive space that enriches minds and benefits both individuals and society.
