Teachers welcome Dáil vote on online safety

Doctors also praise move to increase digital age of consent to 16

‘Know what your child does online’

TEACHERS and doctors are among those who have given a warm welcome to the digital age of consent being set at 16.

On Wednesday Labour, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil TDs in the Dáil defeated the Government’s plans to set the age at 13, the lowest age option available to them.

And this development was yesterday welcomed by teachers, medics and cyber experts who hailed it as a move that ‘maximises parental consent and online security’.

The Faculty of Paediatrics at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland had advocated for it to be set at 16 to ‘ensure better protection for children and support for parents’.

Dr Ellen Crushell, the dean of the faculty, yesterday said they were ‘delighted’ with the decision.

She said yesterday: ‘We are delighted that the Dáil has set the age to 16 and that our views have been taken into account. We believe that this age will better protect our children and their personal data when using the internet.’

The Irish National Teachers Organisation, which represents primary school teachers, also advocated for 16. Yesterday a spokesman said INTO welcomed the decision that came in the House on Wednesday afternoon.

She said: ‘INTO takes the view that an approach that maximises parental consent and online security is most appropriate.

‘I think it’s important that parents have an awareness of what their children are doing online and should have a say on that.’

Fine Gael’s Senator Catherine Noone caused controversy earlier this year when she called for the digital age of consent to be raised to 16 going against her own Government party’s policy.

Last night she acknowledged there is a diverging opinion on the issue and says this is ‘totally understandable’.

‘We have now gone for the more conservative option and if time shows this to have been the incorrect choice, we have the option to change to a lower age,’ she said.

The decision on Wednesday afternoon will see the digital age of consent being set at 16 here, bringing us into line with other European countries such as France, Germany and the Holland.

And it is being introduced as part of the Data Protection Bill, which is legislation that forms part of the wider EU general data protection regulations.

This is designed to harmonise countries’ data protection laws.

It is set to come into force on May 25.

The campaign to set the digital age of consent at 16 was led by world-renowned cyber psychologist Dr Mary Aiken and her colleague Professor Barry O’Sullivan.

And it was supported by this newspaper as part of our ‘Protect Our Children Online’ campaign.

The amendment was tabled by Fianna Fáil’s Thomas Byrne and Jim O’Callaghan as well as Labour’s Sean Sherlock.

Labour party leader Brendan Howlin yesterday said he was ‘very happy’ with the outcome.

He said: ‘I think there was a lot of confusion about what the digital age of consent was. The notion that children at 13 would be allowed enter into contracts that would have their personal data shared or aggregated in some form is just not acceptable.

‘And I think the consensus across the Dáil ultimately built to certainly a significant majority who wanted to move that to 16, and I know people outside in some groups didn’t share that view but I think it is absolutely the right view.’

Broadcaster Oliver Callan welcoming the vote. Dr Mary Aiken was also inundated with messages from members of the public.

And Professor O’Sullivan took to Twitter to say ‘the culture around child data protection is happening’.