'Empowering Parents in the Digital Age'– Senator Anne Rabbitte
Published on: 27 January 2026
Fianna Fáil Senator Anne Rabbitte has said parents are seeking greater guidance and support to help their children navigate the digital world safely.
The party’s research from its ‘Parenting in the Digital Age’ survey highlights widespread concern about the impact of social media on young people.
Senator Rabbitte believes there is a clear appetite among parents to better understand the digital environment their children are growing up in.
“I am hearing this from parents all the time, there is a real hunger there for them to cite information from reliable resources such as An Garda Síochána and Coimisúin na Meán who are experts in the field.”
Senator Rabbitte was speaking on the party’s podcast, Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words, where she discussed he findings from Fianna Fáil’s survey with world renowned cyberpsychologist and author of ‘The Cyber Effect’ Dr Mary Aiken and Deputy Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere.
Dr Aiken believes social media access should be structured for children and teenagers and that a more graduated approach than the measures implemented in Australia would work better.
“Personally, I believe a ban for under 16s is a blunt instrument. I would be in favour of a ban for under 13s on social media platforms. From 13 to 15, I would be in favour of age-gated social media experience with no algorithmic targeting of young people and then at 16 allowing them to engage with social media.”
Dr Aiken also praised An Taoiseach Micheál Martin for his leadership on digital safety issues.
“His support was important in 2018 when the then Government was thinking of lowering the digital age of consent from 16 to 13. I met him at an event recently and I thanked him for his support and I offered myself as a resource to help what Fianna Fáil is trying to do in this space.
Senator Rabbitte suggested that a practical national resource, focusing on milestones around cyber development would prove a useful guide for parents.
“90% of parents who replied to our survey said they didn’t feel equipped. If we could give parents something in chronological order on how to approach this, with policy, experts and parents involved, it would be very useful,” she said.
She suggested Coimisiún na Meán could play a role in developing such guidance as policy people, and funding experts in the field to deliver programmes or run workshops.
Concluding, Senator Rabbitte reaffirmed Fianna Fáil’s commitment to protecting children and young people online.
“Fianna Fáil is committed to making the online world safer for everyone and will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure we take appropriate measures to protect our children now and into the future.”
ENDS
Notes to the Editors:
The Fianna Fáil: In Our Own Words podcast episode on The Digital Safety Gap, featuring Senator Anne Rabbitte, Deputy Peter ‘Chap’ Cleere and Mary Aiken, is available here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0BXJfsySXioNa77YzKAmLO
Tags:
Anne Rabbitte
