Debate contribution: Online Harms: Impact on Young People

Debate contribution by Mr Daniel McCrossan on 13 May 2025.

MLA

Mr Daniel McCrossan

Party at the time

Social Democratic and Labour Party

Date

13 May 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Online Harms: Impact on Young People

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4948264

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I thank my SDLP colleague and education spokesperson, Cara Hunter, for proposing this important motion. It is clear, from the contributions of Members from across the House, that there is serious concern about the online harm of young people and that we all share the view that it needs to be addressed as soon as possible. Indeed, it has been a problem for some time. It can no longer go unchecked or unregulated. It has had a profound impact on our children and young people in terms of their health, their well-being and their education in our schools. This is not about rejecting technology. Members have been quite clear on the importance of the digital age that we are in and how we need to ensure that we keep up with ever-changing trends. However, it is about recognising that, when it comes to the most vulnerable members of our society — our children — we have a responsibility to act in their best interests, even when those actions are not easy or popular. This important discussion will not be popular amongst young people, but it is in their best interests that we are having it. The evidence is overwhelming. As my colleague rightly pointed out, the rising tide of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem and, in some instances, disrupted sleep among young people is being fuelled, in large part, by excessive smartphone use and constant exposure to social media. They are not just statistics, but real lives, real children and real families, many of whom have contacted my office and the offices of many colleagues from across the House at one point or another about deteriorating mental health, the relentless pressure to conform online and the bullying that follows young people from the schoolyard into their homes and the impact that that has on their well-being. The classroom should be a place of safety and focus. It should be an environment where young minds are nurtured, concentration is possible and students can be present in the moment without being distracted by an endless stream of notifications, filtered messages or TikTok trends. Increasingly, however, our teachers are being asked to manage not just the education of our children but their digital behaviour, the social media disputes that end up in the classroom and online harassment, which is often a core complaint in a school. All of that is happening inside the school gates on a daily basis. It is important to recognise the harm that that has caused. In recent weeks, Members have rightly spoken out about the online abuse that they have received. I condemn, totally, any threat of violence or any aggression towards any public representative or, indeed, anybody. Having been a public representative for 10 years, I, like many in the House, have suffered from quite a lot of online abuse, negativity and comments that affect me from time to time. We are resilient people who decided to enter politics and public life. It is not acceptable that we receive that abuse, but we do. We become quite resilient and thick-skinned, but children have not built up that resilience. In fact, they are entirely exposed, which leads to very serious issues with the mental health and well-being of our children and young people. Such a traumatic event can affect them for a very long time. A child who does not have the necessary support at home, let alone at school, could be impacted on for quite a number of years. I am deeply troubled by how far this issue has gone. Teachers have told me that they feel powerless in the face of classroom disruption that is caused by phones. I have heard from parents whose children are afraid to go to school because of videos that were taken of them without their consent. Tragically, we have all seen the headlines right across the UK and Ireland about cases where cyberbullying and social media abuse have contributed to deeply tragic outcomes, including, in some instances, loss of life. This is not a theory; it is happening today. Let me be clear: this is not about demonising our young people or questioning their judgement. They are growing up in a world that is vastly different from the one that many of us knew. They are digital natives, constantly connected and often under incredible social pressure. However, the fact that that is their normal does not mean that it is healthy. Constant connectivity is not freedom; it is a kind of captivity. I speak as someone who is much older than a person who attends school today. All of us have a habit of getting addicted to social media, online platforms and the constant stream of negative information that we receive every day. I removed myself from X recently because reading half of the stuff on it every day would nearly give you a complex. I have also removed my personal Facebook page. Those are things that I have done as an adult in public life to protect my mental health and well-being. I can only imagine the impact that that has on children and young people in today's society. It is vital that we give our children space in which to breathe, learn and grow without the constant gaze of the online world. I recently attended a very helpful outdoor programme at Baronscourt Estate with a number of schools. Many schoolchildren right across Northern Ireland have never truly experienced the outdoors — they have not been in a forest, done orienteering or been near the water — and could not name wildlife or plants. Those are real, tangible experiences in life that many of us in the Chamber experienced when we were children because we did not rely on devices. We were put out on the street to play and enjoy life, childhood and freedom. Whether that involved jumping in puddles, running through fields or playing football, they were proper childhood experiences.

I will indeed.

Absolutely. That is a very important point. I have a number of nephews and nieces. Often, when I am at their house, even on a sunny day such as this, they are on devices, such as iPads, or are stuck in front of a TV instead of being outside playing with friends or each other or doing any form of outdoor activity. That is not healthy, and it damages their progression and well-being. This is not about punishing children or removing their voice. It is about protecting their future. It is also about protecting our teachers. What we have now is a patchwork approach. I appreciate the comments from the Minister today about his making every effort to ensure that there is consistency across schools. According to feedback that my office has received, teachers have been left to interpret inconsistent policies and face the backlash from parents when they try to impose such boundaries. We cannot expect our educators to be social media moderators, privacy officers and cyberbullying experts all at once. We need to put safeguards in place. We need a uniform policy that is backed by legislation and supported by training and resources. We must ensure that any new guidance has buy-in from parents, pupils and teachers alike. That will not be easy. There will be resistance. Indeed, I am aware of resistance today. Some will argue that phones are essential for learning or safety. They were not when I was being educated, and that did not affect me. I was not unsafe while travelling to or from school or while in school. That is a myth that needs to be busted. You can appreciate the need for them in some instances in which a child is extremely vulnerable, but there is not a need for them in all instances.

Let me ask this: are we really saying that a child cannot be safe without having a smartphone in school? It is about busting that myth. Are we so beholden to these devices that we cannot imagine a structured, focused human environment without them?

Of course, used wisely, technology has a place in education: it can enhance learning. Smartphones are not neutral tools, however — they are not. They are designed to cause addiction, to distract and to harvest attention. We should not confuse educational technology with unregulated, uncontrolled smartphone access. We need to ask ourselves what kind of society we are building if we allow the mental health of an entire generation to deteriorate while we look the other way. This is a defining moment for the Assembly. We could stand united on the issue, as legislators. As parents, teachers and citizens, we have to decide whether to continue to tolerate a situation that clearly is doing harm or to act, decisively, in the best interests of all our children. We must be bold. We must be honest: this is happening. Let us have the courage to put these boundaries in place by voting for the motion. I say clearly that the SDLP will support the DUP amendment, because this is the right direction of travel. This debate has been an example of how the House can pull together to protect and safeguard our children and young people. I hope that, beyond today, we see tangible action that puts those protections in place. I commend the motion to the Assembly and urge all parties to seriously consider the proposal.

1,571 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

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Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:37 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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