International stars from the Men’s and Women’s Irish Rugby Teams have joined forces to promote more positive online experiences among young people.
In collaboration with the Vodafone Foundation’s Tozi App, influential Irish rugby players Caelan Doris, Mack Hansen, and Josh van der Flier from the Men’s team, along with Deirbhile Nic a Bháird, Fiona Tuite, and Dorothy Wall from the Women’s team, have created a series of online videos to support young people with their online experiences.
These videos share their personal experiences with digital resilience, emphasise the importance of kindness, and offer valuable advice to their 12-year-old selves.
The Vodafone Foundation Tozi App, developed in partnership with DCU Anti-Bullying Centre and Childline by ISPCC, aims to empower young people to navigate the digital world safely and positively.
As prominent sports figures, they have a substantial following on social media and frequently engage with both positive and negative interactions online. They shared their insights on managing the heightened presence of social media and offered advice to young people on handling the varied reactions they encounter.
Dorothy Wall, Ireland Women’s player, shared her advice to her 12-year-old self: “Your close people just want to make sure you’re okay. People around you are the most important thing and can lift you up when you’re low, but you need to let them know when you’re feeling down.”
Ireland Men’s Captain, Caelan Doris, highlighted the importance of kindness and how the smallest interaction, good or bad, can have the biggest impact: “It goes back to being kind, whether in person or online. It’s easy to post something negative or nice online, but you don’t always see the impact it might have on that person. So, be mindful and be kind.”
Ireland Women’s player, Fiona Tuite also gave advice to younger people on how to deal with negative comments online. She said: “It’s not the real world. These are anonymous people. Put the phone away. Who cares what they think. They don’t know anything about you your life or what’s going with you. Put the phone away and go talk to real people.”
The Tozi app is available for free download and usage from the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.
Liz Roche, Head of the Vodafone Foundation in Ireland emphasised the importance of the Tozi App in a challenging time for young people online: “With the increase in online activity among young people, the Tozi App provides research-backed resources and learning tools to help young people manage their online presence. Since its launch in 2023, Tozi has made a significant impact, achieving nearly 4,000 downloads. Polls have emerged as the most popular content type on the app, offering bite-sized, quick-reward content that allows users to test their knowledge and opinions while viewing responses from others. We recommend all parents and guardians to encourage their children to download the App if they have a phone. It is free to download and use, and available to everyone, regardless of their network provider.”
Tozi is designed to educate, empower, and support young people with a range of engaging features:
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Cosmos: A rich content library offering stories, tips, and advice on handling common online challenges such as account hacks, ghosting, trolling, grieving, and self-esteem issues.
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Live Help: Direct access to call or chat with Childline by ISPCC.
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My Space: A private journaling area featuring a gamified diary and feelings-tracker.