Better Digital Parenting 2024 CyberSafeKids - Manual / Resource - Page 23
B e tte r D i g i t al Paren ting
C y b e r Sa fe K i d s
Parental Resources:
The Law
Coco’s Law
(Harassment,
Harmful
Communications and Related Offences
Act 2020) criminalises the non-consensual
distribution of intimate images. This
means that either the distribution or
publication of intimate images without
consent and with intent to cause harm, or
even distribution and publication with no
specific intent to cause harm, can result in
financial penalties and/or imprisonment.
2023 saw the welcome establishment of
the Office of Online Safety Commissioner
in Ireland under the auspices of the
Online Safety & Media Regulation Act
(2022) and Coimisiún na Meán. This
office will develop online safety codes to
make digital services accountable for how
they protect people, especially children,
from harm online. The Commissioner will
enforce rules about how online services
deal with illegal or harmful content.
At a European level we now also have
the Digital Services Act (DSA). The act
“will make sure that all digital services
we use, especially the so-called “Very
Large Online Platforms” like Instagram,
Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and “Very
Large Online Search Engines” like Google
or Bing, do more to protect users’ rights,
keep us safe and stop the spread of illegal
or inappropriate content. The DSA covers
different types and sizes of online services,
used by anyone in the European Union,
wherever the service is based. It sets
stricter rules for the biggest services.”*
*REF: The Digital Services Act (DSA) explained, European
Commission, 2023.
