Marshalled list of amendments

Tuesday 13 May 2025

Item 5: Order Paper 101/22-27 – Tuesday 13 May 2025

Motion: Tackling the Impact of Online Harms on Young People

Proposed:

That this Assembly expresses grave concern about the impact of social media and smartphones on young people; recognises that tackling online harms will require genuine cross-departmental working; calls on the Minister of Education to ban smartphones in schools, integrate online safety into the curriculum, provide additional training for teachers on online safety, increase the provision of counselling services in schools and reform Relationships and Sex Education to help tackle drivers of online abuse; and further calls on the Minister of Justice to ensure that funding for the PSNI’s child internet protection team is adequately prioritised as part of any increase in the police workforce.

Ms Cara Hunter
Mr Colin McGrath
Mr Matthew O’Toole

Amendment 1

Leave out all after ‘cross-departmental working’ and insert:

‘; calls on the Minister of Education to advance the ongoing pilot to limit the use of smartphones in schools, integrate online safety into the curriculum, provide training for teachers on online safety, seek to increase the provision of counselling services in schools and ensure Relationships and Sex Education helps tackle drivers of online abuse; and further calls on the Minister of Justice to unlock additional resources for the PSNI’s child internet protection team by ensuring funding for policing is adequately prioritised, including through progressing the Chief Constable’s recovery business case to increase the police workforce.’

[Ms Joanne Bunting]
[Mr David Brooks]
[Mr Peter Martin]

Amendment 2 (mutually exclusive to amendment 1)

Leave out all after ‘cross-departmental working’ and insert:

‘..calls on the Minister of Education to support post-primary schools to develop appropriate and flexible policies that informs parents of both the risks and the potential educational value of smartphones; further calls for online safety to be embedded across the curriculum and teacher training, for increased provision of counselling services in schools, and for Relationships and Sex Education to be reformed to better address the drivers of online abuse; and calls on the Minister of Justice to ensure that funding for the PSNI’s child internet protection team is adequately prioritised as part of any increase in the police workforce.’

[Mr Danny Baker]
[Ms Deirdre Hargey]