Senator Alison Comyn has told how she wouldn’t be able to get out of bed in the morning if she read her social media comments such is the level of abuse she receives.
She made the remarks after confronting senior executives of the social media tech companies Meta, Google and Tik Tok on their failure to protect children online during a hearing of the Oireachtas Media committee last week.
But her revelation also came as another local politician, Cllr Sharon Tolan, from east Meath told how she too has been targeted and abused online in the past few weeks.
Senator Comyn said enough is enough and it is time that the social media platforms are finally held to account.
She questioned the tech bosses as to why they believe it is wrong to ban under 16s from social media and if such a ban is introduced in Ireland will they try to bypass it.
The Senator also asked why children are shown content that would never appear on an adult feed.
She fumed:” We have had enough of platforms deflecting responsibility. The evidence is clear; not enough is being done.
I made it clear that online abuse can be overwhelming even for those of us who are resilient. As an adult I can not read my own social media comments.If I did I wouldn’t be able to get out of bed due to the abuse.
If adults struggle to cope with harassment and harmful content, how can we possibly expect children to be any different?Real accountability and meaningful regulation are urgently needed.”
Cllr Tolan, who received over 2,000 votes in her Bettystown/Laytown area during the last local election, was subjected to a barrage of online abuse and gendered comments on social media for raising concerns about erosion and public safety along the Bettystown-Laytown coast.
The Fine Gael councillor received almost 100 hostile comments for raising the public safety issue.She warned misogyny in politics and on social media is not only disgusting but dangerous..
She said it chips away at women’s confidence, safety and a sense of belonging in public life and sends a message that when women speak out they will be punished for it.
The Mayor of Drogheda Cllr Michelle Hall has also been regularly abused by the keyboard warriors, many of whom cowardly hide behind fake identities.
