Government urged to restrict ‘toxic’ social media algorithms

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, Press Association

The Government has been urged to restrict “toxic” social media algorithms over potential harms being done to children.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the European Commission was already investigating social media algorithms and Ireland would run a large pilot of a digital wallet next year that would be used to verify users’ ages.

The issue was raised by Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns, who quoted a High Court judge who likened children using the internet unhindered to them “playing with matches”.

Ms Cairns acknowledged that regulating sites online was a “hugely complex issue” that governments around the world were grappling with, referencing Australia launching a social media ban for children aged under 16 this week.

She said she had issues with such a ban, including the fact that current age restrictions online are not enforced.

“Delaying access to social media sites does nothing about the recommender algorithms that are feeding children toxic content,” she said.

She quoted from studies that found social media platforms show young teenagers content about self-harm and suicide, and “bombarded” teenage boys with misogynistic content.

Ms Cairns said: “Social media platforms now routinely show graphic, violent or racist videos to people who are not looking for that content.

“This isn’t just having a hugely damaging impact on children; it is massively corrosive for society.

“It is spreading misinformation and hate through communities like wildfire.”

She asked if the Government would regulate algorithms that direct harmful and extremist content to people.

We will be examining all aspects of this, including the impacts and the use of algorithms to direct people to certain areas and that clearly is an issue

Mr Martin said there needed to be “co-ordinated, robust and rights respecting” responses to social media, and that the response should span education, parental supports and age-verification controls.

He said a culture of strong self-esteem and self-respect should be created through the education system so that children can “withstand, be resilient in the face of whatever comes at you in life”.

“We’re also developing a secure, privacy-focused approach to age verification and we’re working to include age verification functionality in Ireland’s digital wallet under the EU project.

“That’s about giving parents and young people robust, government-backed mechanism to protect privacy, and a large-scale pilot is planned for early next year.”

He said they had also reduced phone distractions in classrooms and that 462 schools had drawn down six million euro worth of funding with the aim of reducing phone use in classrooms through purchasing material such as phone pouches.

He said the US believes the EU is over-regulating “the digital space”, to which Mr Martin said “I don’t think we are”.

He added: “We will be examining all aspects of this, including the impacts and the use of algorithms to direct people to certain areas and that clearly is an issue.

“The European Commission has launched investigations into these powerful algorithm influences, and especially young users online, so the European Commission is already working on that aspect.”