Sharp rise in sexual images generated by primary school pupils, Foley warns

Social-media algorithms aimed at keeping children online for as long as possible are spreading harmful content, causing sleep deprivation and damaging pupils’ attention spans, the Minister for Education has warned.

Norma Foley, speaking at the Irish National Teachers’ Organisation’s (INTO) annual congress in Derry on Monday evening, said the new media and online regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, has also informed her about a “sharp rise” in self-generated compromising images, of a sexual nature, among seven- to 10-year-olds.

She said this was because predators were using social-media apps to groom children, often by pretending to be another child, and then blackmailing them once they provide compromising images.

“It is every parent’s worst nightmare – but we have seen from the results of a recent court case in this jurisdiction that it can be all too real,” she said.

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Ms Foley said it was proving very challenging to keep children of primary school age safe when they can easily sign up to social-media apps with a minimum age of 13 years.

“There are cleverly designed features such as ‘friendship streaks’ – where children get a flame icon showing the number of days they are in contact with their best friend on the social-media app. But it is use it or lose it – children have to use the app every single day to keep the friendship streak going,” she said.

“I know there are teachers who see the impact of this in the classroom – children who are sleep-deprived or whose attention span has been damaged by a constant diet of mind-numbing 30-second online videos.”

She said she hoped more parents and schools will sign up to voluntary agreements to not provide their child with a smartphone until they finish sixth class to help “keep childhood smartphone free”.

“The aim is to delay the purchase of a smartphone until a pupil is older – not to deny it forever,” she said. “Delay, not deny.”

Ms Foley also announced that the Government will issue guidelines to schools soon over using of artificial intelligence (AI) in safe and responsible way.

“AI will be a great advantage in education, but it will also bring many challenges,” she said. “I know from visiting special schools that they speak of how AI can help, for instance, children with hearing difficulties.

“We know it will be an advantage in teaching languages, and compiling timetables. But the challenges will come around data protection and information around a student’s educational progression.”

Department of Education officials are being supported by Oide, the support service for teachers and school leaders, on the development of guidelines which will issue to schools soon. Separately, the State Examinations Commission is also examining the implications for assessment purposes.

The findings come as all recruitment and retention issues in schools look set to dominate this week’s Easter teaching union conferences.

INTO general secretary John Boyle warned that an “unparalleled recruitment and retention crisis has taken hold of our education system” and the Government has “failed to listen to the concerns of teachers who have felt they have no other choice but to pack their bags and head overseas”.

Latest figures indicate that there are more than 2,000 long-term vacancies in schools, he said, as well as multiple short-term vacancies.

Ms Foley pointed to the new public-sector pay deal as way to address issues relating to pay and employment conditions for teachers.

She said the 2½-year pay agreement, backed by all teacher unions and now ratified by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, will increase the starting pay for a teacher to about €46,000 and the top point to about €85,000.

A local bargaining mechanism is also provided for, through which she said the Department of Education and unions can engage on further additional changes to conditions of employment.

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