TikTok invited to appear before Oireachtas committee after M9 crash
TikTok has been invited to appear before the Oireachtas media committee next month to address concerns about how it deals with content that "glorifies illegal activity." The invitation, announced by committee chairman Alan Kelly, comes as social media platforms face increased scrutiny over the spread of dangerous content.
Mr Kelly said the committee is seeking clarity on how TikTok identifies and removes content that glorifies irresponsible or illegal behaviour. "We need to know how quickly TikTok can identify and remove videos that glorify reckless or illegal behaviour," he said in a statement. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, 23rd September.
The invitation follows the deaths of five teenagers in a crash on Sunday in Co Kildare. Joe Carthy, Jack Kennedy, Alex McCarthy, Jeremy O'Brien and Kamil Pustkowski died after the car they were travelling in was driving the wrong way down the M9 and was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle. Four members of a family in the other car are being treated for serious injuries.
Mr Kelly said the deaths were "horrific" and that "serious questions have arisen about the circulation of social media content which appears to glorify dangerous and illegal behaviour on our roads." He noted that TikTok has said it is closely monitoring content related to the incident, and the committee wants to understand precisely what steps it takes.
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke has also weighed in, telling RTÉ's News at One that social media companies are "endangering" society by failing to remove content depicting dangerous and illegal activity. "We've seen how many people have been let go from social media companies over the last number of months, and yet this content keeps appearing," he said. Mr Burke added that moderated content "is not properly taken down on time – which is not good enough."
Mr Burke emphasised the importance of protecting children, saying, "our children are most precious and most important in any society and they always come first." He concluded, "Government will never, ever, ever be behind in taking action on our social media companies when they endanger our society like they are doing in this case."
In the aftermath of the crash, funerals were held for Joe Carthy, Alex McCarthy and Kamil Pustkowski on Friday, with services for Jeremy O'Brien and Jack Kennedy taking place on Monday and Tuesday. A vigil in support of the injured family was held in Carlow on Friday. An online fundraiser for the family, which includes Ella Hendricken and Niamh and Alma Kinsella, had raised 730,000 euro by lunchtime on Sunday.