Asked and answered: ban on smartphones

Around the Houses

Senator Robbie Gallgher (FF) said access to smartphones needs to be prohibited for students who are under 16 years of age.

He made the call after listening to a presentation on social media made by the principal of an all boys secondary school in Monaghan.

“It is deeply affecting the moral fibre of our young people, their mental health, their ability to forge authentic connections and their ability to decode what is real, false, right and wrong.”

During the presentation, the principal outlined how social media diminishes true connection, while he also noted: “the base level of communication between adolescents is horrific.” “Young people will type something that they would never say to somebody’s face. They do not see the consequences of these words, images so therefore they do not consider them.” Among the points he mentioned, Senator Gallagher also learned how “young people’s dependency on validation online leads to a lack of resilience”.

Meanwhile he also said: “social media promotes irresponsibility and a lack of self-discipline” where there are “no consequences” for breaching a code of conduct.

“The availability of illicit images promotes irresponsibility.”

While he welcomed the ban on phones in schools, he said this needs to be extended to an outright ban on smartphones for those under 16.

Minister of State at the Department of Communications Charlie McConalogue said government’s approach to protecting children online is to “regulate access to content, rather than access to equipment”. “For now, the Government does not have plans to ban smartphones,” he said. Meanwhile, he said the new national strategy on digital and AI commits the Government to explore options with other EU member states to introduce age restrictions on the use of social media, concentrating on those under the age of 16.