Social media use has driven a surge in calls to the national parent support helpline and is "an increasing concern" for parents. Calls to Parentline about social media use more than doubled last year, up from 1.8% in 2024 to 3.5% of calls. “More parents than ever are concerned about the negative impact on their children’s mental health caused by social media use,” said Ms Hickie. “Social media platforms have to be forced to take some responsibility for putting in place proper protections to prevent children accessing harmful material," said Ms Hickie. Domestic violence is often thought about as being only partner-to-partner abuse, but it is any violence or abuse that takes place in a domestic setting.

Source: Irish Examiner January 27, 2026 17:56 UTC