Deputy Michael Lowry raised the issue in the Dáil where he referred to a recent incident in Cork where people chose to film a man in difficulty in the River Lee rather than try to help him.
The Thurles independent says violent brawls, racist attacks, abusive actions, and bullying incidents are also considered fair game for recording.
He told the Dáil that it’s also impacting on the work of emergency services.
“We’ve all read of the heartache endured by a mother in Cork last week as she witnessed people callously filming her sons final moments. Unfortunately this mother is not the first to feel such horror.
“It has become common for people to record tragic events for the sole purpose of sharing or threatening to share them on social media.
“Emergency responders have also frequently spoken out about the heartless behaviour of onlookers who turned a tragedy into a clickbait opportunity.”
Responding to Deputy Lowry Minister Jack Chambers also extended his sympathies to the family of Luke Hyde who drowned after getting into difficulty in the River Lee.
He was also critical of the actions of onlookers.
“It’s deeply disturbing that the first instinct some of those present when he tragically lost his life was not to help out – it was to take out their phones and stream the incident. It’s a failure of basic human decency to take the view that social media clout is more important than the dignity and privacy of someone in extreme distress – in their last moments.
“And when this sort of content is posted there’s a very real risk that someone close to a victim of a serious accident could find out through online coverage and these videos are not news.”
