Scott Motion on X
Green Party Spokesperson for Children, Cllr Lourda Scott, has tabled a motion calling on Wicklow County Council to immediately stop using the social media platform X. The motion, which is co signed by women councillors from across party groupings, calls on the Executive to end the local authority’s use of X on the basis that the platform and its AI tools now present unacceptable risks to the safety of women and children.
Cllr Scott said that X has changed so significantly in recent years that it is no longer appropriate for use by a public body. Cllr Scott said the fact that the motion is supported by Cllrs. Winstanley, Murphy and Corrigan , reflects a shared concern about safety on the platform.
“X has often been a place for abuse, however, since the takeover by Elon Musk, any attempts at moderation appear to have been thrown to the wind. The degree of racist and hate driven content alone should be of deep concern for a local authority which has clear commitments to equality written into its higher level corporate goals,” she said.
“However, the recent reports to the Oireachtas Media Committee that An Garda Síochána is actively investigating 200 reports relating to content on X involving child sexual abuse material are simply shocking. There is no doubt that public bodies have a responsibility to show leadership and stop using this platform.”
Cllr Scott pointed to a number of serious investigations in Ireland and internationally relating to Grok, the AI chatbot operated by X. Ireland’s media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, is engaging with the European Commission over concerns that Grok is being used to generate sexually explicit images of women and children. Internationally, regulators are also taking action, with the UK regulator Ofcom opening an investigation into whether X has failed to protect users, particularly children, from harmful AI generated images.
Cllr Scott said these developments underline why councils in Ireland must act.
“This motion follows my own decision to step away from X and delete my account,” she said. “I won’t support any space that allows abusive images of women and children to be created and shared. That is not something I would accept in real life. Just because it is happening virtually doesn’t mean that different standards of behaviour apply. There is no place in our society for this and we should not accept it as so.”
Cllr Scott confirmed that she stopped posting on X in February 2025 and is now in the process of deleting her account entirely. She noted that Dublin City Council has recently moved to end its use of X following similar concerns.
