Online Safety for Children to Come Under Spotlight at Kennedy Summer School

Online safety for children will come under the spotlight in New Ross later this month as part of the 2026 Kennedy Summer School.

“Children, Clicks and Consequences: Online Safety in a Digital Age” takes place at St Michael’s Theatre on Saturday, August 29th from 12 noon to 1pm.

The discussion will examine whether enough is being done to protect children as smartphones, social media, gaming, artificial intelligence and digital learning become an increasing part of everyday life.

The panel will be moderated by former Twitter global policy chief Sinéad McSweeney and will also feature Ombudsman for Children Dr Niall Muldoon, ComReg Commissioner Niamh Hodnett, Dr Gillian Kennedy of ShoutOut and Andrew McLindon, Director of Communications with An Garda Síochána.

Recent CyberSafeKids research found that 39% of children aged between eight and 12 own a smartphone, rising to 66% by the age of 12.

It also found that 26% of primary school children and 36% of secondary school children had encountered online content or unsolicited contact which upset or bothered them.

The discussion will look at issues including harmful content, disinformation, regulation and the responsibilities of technology companies, schools, parents, regulators and wider society.

The Kennedy Summer School runs in New Ross from August 27th to 29th, with a programme covering politics, economics, international affairs, media, culture and society.