Aidan O’Brien of EDMO Ireland was invited onto RTÉ Radio 1’s Liveline to provide context on social media platforms allowing videos of young men stealing cars and speeding to circulate.
The discussion followed the tragedy on the M9 on 16 August, in which three women and one child were seriously injured and five teenagers died after a stolen car was driven in the wrong direction. According to the Irish Independent, some of the teenagers had bragged online about driving against traffic to evade gardaí, prompting a wider discussion about the role of social media.
Discussing the effects of harmful content, Aidan explained that social media is not a primary cause of bad behaviour, as the underlying social problems predate the online world. However, social media can reinforce and amplify them. He also noted that most platforms have rules against the glorification of crime, but that these rules are not always effectively enforced.
Listen to the full conversation on the RTÉ Radio 1 website.
