In this episode, Webwise Youth Panelist Stephen is joined by Ireland’s Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett, to explore the progress being made in keeping people safe online. They discuss the evolving landscape of online safety in Ireland and across Europe, the rights and protections for children and young people, and practical steps we can all take to enjoy a safer and more positive digital experience.
Find out more about the work of Coimisiún na Meán.
Consent is a fundamental part of all relationships, but it’s often misunderstood or overlooked. From outdated norms to gendered expectations, the way we talk about consent has been shaped by culture and institutions.
In this episode of Casting the Net, Molly from the Webwise Youth Panel chats with Sianna Williams and Alex Black from the Consent-Ed programme about boundaries, consent, and healthy communication. They discuss how the programme challenges harmful stereotypes and helps young people build a culture of respect — and, they share practical advice for teens on understanding and practicing consent in everyday life.
List to part 2, where they talk about reporting, red flags to watch out for in relationships, Coco’s Law, and key advice for teens.
Welcome to part 2 of this episode of Casting the Net. Molly from the Webwise Youth Panel continues her conversation with Sianna Williams and Alex Black from the Consent-Ed programme. In this episode, they dive into reporting and the barriers young people face when asking for help. They also discuss red flags to watch out for in relationships, explain Coco’s Law, and share important advice for teens navigating relationships and consent.
In this episode, we’ll be discussing an important topic that affects everyone — cybersecurity.
From hacking to online scams, there’s a lot to watch out for when using technology and being online. We’ll be asking key questions about staying safe online, how to spot and avoid scams, and how keep our information secure.
To get some advice, Webwise Youth Panelist Shriya was joined by Cybersecurity Expert Dr. Hazel Murray.
As teens, lots of us get our information from social media, and following influencers can be a great way to discover content that we are interested in, to get tips, inspiration, and be entertained.
We know that many of these influencers team up with brands to promote products or services, but what are the rules around this, and how can you spot an ad or a paid post online?
To find out more, Ishani spoke to Orla Twomey, CEO of the Advertising Standards Authority.
From Chatbots that have human-like conversations, to AI that creates new images, music or videos - GenAI is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives.
While it can help spark creativity and improve efficiency, this technology also poses challenges.
One major concern is the spread of mis and dis information, as GenAI can generate realistic fake content that is indistinguishable from reality.
To discuss this, and more, Webwise Youth Panelist Lauren spoke to Mark Little.
In Part 2 of this episode, they discuss AI and education, algorithms, the opportunities in the future, and advice for young people.
But Lauren begins by asking him about regulation of AI.
From Chatbots that have human-like conversations, to AI that creates new images, music or videos - GenAI is becoming increasingly common in our everyday lives.
While it can help spark creativity and improve efficiency, this technology also poses challenges.
One major concern is the spread of mis and dis information, as GenAI can generate realistic fake content that is indistinguishable from reality.
To discuss this, and more, Webwise Youth Panelist Lauren spoke to Mark Little.
Mark is a journalist and entrepreneur who founded the social news agency Storyful and the content moderation company Kinzen. He has also previously worked for RTÉ, and is widely recognized for his contributions to journalism and media innovation.
In this episode we are going to be exploring a topic that has been getting a lot of attention lately: the "manosphere."
In the last few years we have seen the rise in popularity of divisive influencers such as Andrew Tate, sparking debate and controversy around masculinity, relationships, and gender dynamics.
But how might this affect teenagers? And what are the consequences?
To learn more, and to get advice for teens, Webwise Youth Panelist Shriya chatted to Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist Dr. Colman Noctor.
In Part 2 of this episode, Shriya begins by asking if the tech companies have a role to play in highlighting moderate views online?
In this episode we are going to be exploring a topic that has been getting a lot of attention lately: the "manosphere."
In the last few years we have seen the rise in popularity of divisive influencers such as Andrew Tate, sparking debate and controversy around masculinity, relationships, and gender dynamics.
But how might this affect teenagers? And what are the consequences?
To learn more, and to get advice for teens, Webwise Youth Panelist Shriya chatted to Child and Adolescent Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist Dr. Colman Noctor.
Every time we go online, we're giving away information about ourselves.
But just how much data are companies collecting from us and what rights do we have in relation to our personal data?
An important protection for all of us is GDPR which came into effect in 2018 and is designed to protect personal data linked to individuals.
In this episode Webwise Youth Panelist Alannah is joined by Jennifer Dolan, Assistant Commissioner (Head of Children's Data Protection Policy) in the Data Protection Commission.
The Data Protection Commission is the Irish supervisory authority for the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
There have been big steps forward in AI over the past decade.
From online shopping to streaming platform, or using the apps on our phones – AI is already changing how we live, learn, and work.
One of the AI developments that has attracted a lot of attention since it came on the scene late last year is ChatGPT.
With people excited about the possibilities that it may provide, but also sparking a lot of ethical concerns too.To find out more, Webwise Youth Panellist Emma spoke to Science and Technology journalist Elaine Burke.
Elaine is host of the For Tech’s Sake podcast, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network.
In part 2, Emma talks to Elaine about exciting developments in AI generally, and steps to regulate it.
There have been big steps forward in AI over the past decade.
From online shopping to streaming platform, or using the apps on our phones – AI is already changing how we live, learn, and work.
One of the AI developments that has attracted a lot of attention since it came on the scene late last year is ChatGPT.
With people excited about the possibilities that it may provide, but also sparking a lot of ethical concerns too.
To find out more, Webwise Youth Panellist Emma spoke to Science and Technology journalist Elaine Burke.
Elaine is host of the For Tech’s Sake podcast, a co-production from Silicon Republic and The HeadStuff Podcast Network.
In part 1, Emma chats to Elaine about how ChatGPT generates content, the benefits it can provide, its limitations, and challenges that it presents.
The rapid expansion of the Internet within society has led to marked changes in the way individuals communicate, think and live their lives. Traditionally we got our news from trusted sources, journalists and media outlets that are required to follow strict codes of practice. However, the internet has enabled a whole new way to publish, share and consume information and news with very little regulation or editorial standards. This has led to rapid spreading of mis/disinformation, amplification of extremist/radical views and conspiracy theories.
Recent events here in Ireland indicate a rise in far right radicalisation that plays on local concerns and national issues. We have seen far right activists weaponize social media platforms to incite fear, anger and increasingly racist commentary.
While, the popularity of online personalities, who promote controversial ideologies, misogyny and extreme agendas has caused concerns about the influence they have on their followers.
So, is online extremism growing in Ireland, and what is its influence?
Webwise Youth Panelist, Eoin, speaks to Ciarán O'Connor, Senior Analyst at the London-based Institute for Strategic Dialogue, an organisation that researches disinformation, extremism and hate online.
From connecting with our friends, to listening to music, gaming, shopping, watching videos, or doing homework – a lot of our time is spent online.
Sometimes, the amount of time we spend online can even cause conflict!
We know that there are pros and cons to being online, and that includes what we are doing online, and for how long.
Research from Trinity College Dublin shows that striking the right balance in the amount of time spent online could be good for teenagers’ wellbeing.
In Part 1, Billie from the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, spoke to Richard Layte, co-author of the study, about the background to the research and the key findings. In Part 2, they talk about whether there is a 'magic number' for the right amount of time to spend online, and what needs to be done to build on the research.
From connecting with our friends, to listening to music, gaming, shopping, watching videos, or doing homework – a lot of our time is spent online.
Sometimes, the amount of time we spend online can even cause conflict!
We know that there are pros and cons to being online, and that includes what we are doing online, and for how long.
Research from Trinity College Dublin shows that striking the right balance in the amount of time spent online could be good for teenagers’ wellbeing.
In Part 1, Billie from the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel, speaks to Richard Layte, co-author of the study, about the background to the research, it's key findings, and what how time spent online can have a positive, and negative, affect on our wellbeing!
Whether it’s chatting to our friends, doing homework, using social media or gaming – a lot of what we do happens online.
The internet provides us with many opportunities for connecting, for entertainment, for support and for learning.
And, just like children and teenagers have rights in the offline world, we also have rights online.
Why is it important to know what these are?
It's to make sure that we know that we are being treated fairly, being protected, and also to know what responsibilities we have online.
To find out more, Molly from the Webwise Youth Advisory Panel spoke to Julie Ahern from the Children’s Rights Alliance.
Misinformation and disinformation is one of the biggest challenges that we face online.
As teenagers we get most of our information online, and with so much information out there, it can be easy to come across something that isn’t true.
And, on social media and messaging apps, misinformation, conspiracy theories, and rumours can spread really, really quickly.
In this episode we explore the topic of misinformation and disinformation, who creates it and why, what the challenges are, how we can spot it and how as young people we can make a difference.
To find out more, Billie from the Webwise Youth Panel, spoke to Susan Daly, Managing Editor of Journal Media. Journal Media is an independently-owned and managed media organisation which includes The Journal, The Journal FactCheck, The42, and Noteworthy.
