Ministers must heed worried teenagers

A SURVEY of secondary school students about attitudes to Facebook puts paid to the notion that teenagers are naïvely trusting of the internet giant. It shows nine out of ten teenagers are either worried or very worried about their online privacy and personal data, while 41% believe that smartphones should be banned from school.

The level of scepticism about social media among the first generation of Irish people to grow up with it is reassuring. But that is no excuse for complacency.

The survey shows one-third of teenagers disclose their location when using Snapchat, and that three-quarters sign up for services without reading any terms and conditions. Clearly there’s an urgency about better protection for teenagers.

Teenage distrust of Facebook and of its ability to compromise their safety and wellbeing confirms the wisdom of this newspaper’s campaign for an age limit on smartphone ownership.

Experts and politicians, including the cyberpsychologist Dr Mary Aiken, have lent their support to our drive to protect children online. More than 2,000 readers signed our petition for age limits.

This week when the Cabinet meets to discuss raising the digital age of consent from 13 to 16 years, let’s hope the concerns of this age group are not overlooked.

Backed by medical opinion and many cyber safety experts, this newspaper supports raising the digital age of consent to 16 years of age. But perhaps the most persuasive voice of all is that of teenagers who have first-hand experience of the wild west internet and don’t feel safe online.

Nine out of ten teens can’t be wrong.