Three tiered approach needed to stamp out internet abuse.

Fine Gael Dun Laoghaire Deputy, Mary Mitchell O’Connor, has today (Tuesday) paid tribute to Jonathan Pugsley and Jeremy Prince, both of whose daughters’ deaths have been linked to cyber-bullying, for the courage they have shown in highlighting the issue.

Deputy Mitchell O’Connor was speaking following RTÉ’s Frontline programme last night which dealt with cyber abuse and the impact it is having on our children’s lives.

“Jonathan Pugsley showed tremendous courage in taking part in the show so soon after his daughter’s death and both he and Jeremy Prince, whose daughter Phoebe died last year, will undoubtedly help many children and their families through similar experiences.

“During the course of the programme a statement was made by the website at the centre of Ciara Pugsley’s death, ask.fm, which stated that Irish and British children are crueller than children from other countries when it comes to cyber-bullying. As a former school principal, I refute these remarks and find any attempt to portray Irish children in this light as a cheap shot.

“It is my firm belief that a three tiered approach is needed to stamp out cyber-bullying, which involves greater regulation by the industry, greater education for our children regarding how to behave online and greater parental supervision.

“Increased regulation by web moderators of websites that are commonly used by children is needed, as are updated guidelines for schools on how to tackle cyber-bullying.

“For their part, parents must ensure that a child’s computer access is monitored and that social media pages are checked regularly. With the ease of access to the internet these days through mobile phones and the 24/7 nature of social media sites, such as Facebook and ask.fm, our children are more at risk than ever.

“We have seen the tragedy that can result from cyber-bullying, with families left devastated. For the sake of our children’s mental health, their confidence and their ability to live full and happy childhoods, we all need to play our part in getting to grips with this issue once and for all.”