Information for educators

Coimisiún na Meán has a large remit in media regulation and development. We know that it can be difficult for teachers and educators to find the time to research new laws and organisations. Have a look at the Who are we section to understand more about our role.

You will find various resources on this page to help you better understand the role of Coimisiún na Meán, including lesson plans and a video to educate students on the rights Coimisiún na Meán protects online.

The role of Coimisiún na Meán and its powers to protect rights online may be of interest in relation to the following secondary school subjects:

Social Personal Health Education (SPHE)
Civic Social Political Education (CSPE)
Digital Media Literacy (optional short course for Junior Certificate)
English
Ethical Education
Politics and Society
Business
History

Lesson plans

Our lesson plans have been designed to help you introduce the role of Coimisiún na Meán to your class and to explore rights under our Online Safety Framework.

These lesson plans are accompanied by a dedicated Teacher Guide and downloadable posters.

Here is an outline of what each lesson plan includes:

Junior Cycle Lesson Plan

Senior Cycle Lesson Plan

Junior and Senior Cycle

The video below forms a part of the lesson plan. It outlines the rights that our Online Safety Framework affords young people

We also have an infographic that explains the rights that students have under the Online Safety Framework:

Download Infographic (PDF)

We will regularly update this page with more guidance and resources. If you would like to give us feedback on our lesson plan, or if there is any other guidance you’d like to give us, please complete this short survey.

FAQ for teachers

A student has come to me asking for help reporting illegal content. What do I do?  

If you see illegal content online, report it to the platform using the illegal content reporting mechanism and clearly state which law it breaks. Our What is illegal content? page might be of assistance.
You may need to provide the URL/s of the content you think is illegal, as well as an email address, so that the platform can get back to you. 

Under the Digital Services Act – one of the laws in our Online Safety Framework – the platform must reply to you in a timely manner and either remove the content, or explain to you why they are not removing it.
If you’re not happy with their decision, they must also give you a way to appeal their decision.  

If the platform doesn’t reply to your report in a timely manner, or if you can’t find the reporting function, you can report to Coimisiún na Meán.

What does a ‘timely reply’ mean? Are there any guidelines as to how long that is?

While there is no definitive timeframe set out for a ‘timely reply’, platforms will generally try to remove this illegal content in as fast a time as is practicable.

What can Coimisiún na Meán do next if platforms might have broken the law?

Coimisiún na Meán has various powers. When we receive reports from the public about platforms allegedly breaking the rules, we look into this. If we find that a platform is breaking the rules and is not complying with its legal obligations under the Online Safety Framework, we can start an investigation. 

If we find that a platform has broken the rules, we can issue warnings and fines. For example, breaches of the Digital Services Act can result in fines of up to 6% of the platform’s turnover. 

While not every report we receive results in an investigation, the more information we receive about your experience of reporting content and dealing with platforms, the better we can do our job. 

Can Coimisiún na Meán remove illegal content for me or my students?

No. Coimisiún na Meán does not have the power to immediately remove or take down illegal content from the internet. As a media regulator, our job is to make sure that platforms are following the rules under the Online Safety Framework. If you call our advice centre and Coimisiún na Meán is not the correct organisation to help, you will be signposted to the right organisation.

What do I/my students need to do if I/they see harmful content online? 

The Online Safety Code in Ireland defines what harmful content is. Harmful content includes the promotion of suicide material, cyberbullying and eating disorders where this content gives rise to a risk to a person’s life or significant harm to a person’s physical or mental health. Under the Code, where such content causes a risk to someone’s life or a risk of significant harm to someone’s physical or mental health, platforms have to restrict the content from their service through their Terms and Conditions and allow users to report or flag such content.

You should always report harmful content to the platform where you saw it. If platforms don’t remove this harmful content in a timely manner, you can report this to Coimisiún na Meán. 

If you think your life or your students’ life is in danger, you should always contact the Gardaí on 999 or 112. 

I’m worried about terrorist content online. As a teacher, what do I do if I see this?

If you see content on a platform that is encouraging, supporting, glorifying or promoting terrorist activities, report it immediately to the platform where you found it. You should also report this content to the Gardaí.
If there is an immediate threat to life or your safety, call the Gardaí on 999 or 112.

I’m a bit nervous about teaching this material. I don’t know a lot about it, and it all changes so quickly. Will there be more resources from Coimisiún na Meán on other topics?

Yes, Coimisiún na Meán has a dedicated Media Literacy and User Education team. This educational resource is our first publication, but we anticipate that more resources will be created in the future. Your feedback is important and valuable so please fill out our survey to let us know what areas/topics you would like to see covered.  