Last week, a grieving mother and formidable online safety campaigner visited Leinster House. Maria Raine is campaigning for stronger regulation of AI chatbots after ChatGPT drove her beloved 16-year-old son, Adam, to take his own life. ChatGPT advised him on suicide techniques, encouraged him to drink alcohol so that he would go through with it, and isolated him from his family. It told him not to talk to his mother or his brother. It said no one understood him like it did. In Ireland, more than half of eight- to 12-year-olds and over three quarters of 12- to 15-year-olds use AI. Some 16% of eight- to 12-year-olds and 20% of 12- to 15-year-olds use AI chatbots to chat or get advice rather than look up information, but the boundary between these is blurred. Adam began using ChatGPT for homework and ended with it writing his suicide note. Maria believes, and I agree, that AI chatbots should be banned from discussing mental health with children. Does the Taoiseach agree and will he introduce legislation to prevent ChatGPT from killing any kids in Ireland?

It is a shocking situation and our heart goes out to the family. We support restrictions, particularly at a European Union level. President von der Leyen, in her recent state of the Union address, announced that the Commission will publish a proposal in respect of restrictions on access to social media for children. An EU-wide report would have far greater impact with regard to enforceability and protecting children than just one member state by another member state, because the services are cross-border. I am in favour of everything that we can do to protect children. The legislation at the European level will be known as the European Union Kids Act. It will take a graduated, differentiated approach to age restrictions. There will also be new obligations on platforms to design safe services in line with what the Deputy is saying, that are safe for minors and for children in particular.