Why This Approach ?
The Gen Free campaign is about addressing the safety of the entire online world, regardless of what type of device a child uses to access the internet, and regardless of what type of apps / websites / browsers / software they use.
Below we outline the main reasons behind our approach.
Why legislation?
Extending the laws that protect children from harm in the physical world and applying them to the digital world is the only way to effectively safeguard children and young people under the age of 18 online.
Currently there is no incentive to tech companies to self-regulate and prioritise the wellbeing of children.
In fact, the opposite is the case - the more addictive the online world is to children, the more that tech companies are profiting, making billions of euro each year. Many of them are effectively exploiting the curiosity of children and their natural desires to discover, play with and connect with each other.
“A Harvard study estimated that Meta, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and X made about $11 billion (€10.2 billion) in 2022 in the US alone on the back of targeted advertising to their younger users” (Alex Cooney, CyberSafeKids, The Irish Times)
The Irish government’s effort to ask tech companies to protect children online in February 2024 was not effective. Many of the invited companies did not attend the roundtable discussion with Minister for Education Norma Foley, and those that did attend refused to introduce more robust age verification measures: https://www.independent.ie/business/technology/snapchat-x-and-ea-games-among-tech-companies-that-snubbed-invitation-to-education-minister-norma-foleys-online-safety-meeting/a2043883766.html
Should access to smartphones and devices be a decision for parents to make, rather than government?
Tech companies are internet experts. It is unfair and unethical to expect parents, schools and in particular children, to keep up with the constant new developments and updates being rolled out by tech companies. While strands 2 and 3 of the Gen Free campaign will cover education and supports, these need to be supplementary to legislation, and not stand alone.
While delay-smartphone pledges (which we very much encourage – e.g. see HERE) and voluntary opt-in initiatives are hugely positive when parents are interested, knowledgeable and pro-active in this area, many young people do not have this level of parental supervision or support when it comes to technology use, for various reasons (which may include lack of confidence with tech on the part of the parents etc).
Many children (24% in Ireland according to Jigsaw, i.e. approx. 282,354 children) do not feel they have ‘One Good Adult’ they can turn to when they need support, which is particularly concerning given that current advice from those opposing legislation is that nurturing open communication channels between children and caregivers is the best approach for managing children’s online experiences. For those young people who do not feel they have an adult they can safely confide in, this advice will be of no benefit. Legislation is the only way to protect all children, regardless of the level of direct adult support in their lives.
It is better to reduce the risk of children’s exposure to inappropriate content from the outset, rather than trying to manage the consequences after the fact when the effects/trauma may have already happened.
In a nutshell, if appropriate laws are not introduced, there will continue to be too many optional conditions which need to be met to ensure the safety of all children online. Children have a right to be protected from harm, and the law needs to reflect this.