Highlights from Newstalk Breakfast

More than a quarter of primary school children and over a third of secondary school children have engaged with AI chatbots, according to figures published today in CyberSafeKids' annual Trends and Usage Report. Here with us to discuss is CEO of CyberSafeKids, Alex Cooney.

Students in Ireland being priced out of college. So says Bryan O'Mahony, President of AMLÉ formerly known as Union Students of Ireland who explained why to Newstalk Breakfast.

Following the introduction of six new litter wardens, one hundred extra waste management staff and more, Dublin City Council is now asking those living here to do their part to keep the streets litter-free. To discuss further Ciara spoke to Derek Kelly, Executive Manager in Environment and transport at Dublin City Council.

There has been a rise among children in AI Chatbot use. This is according to figures published today in CyberSafeKids' annual Trends and Usage Report. Shane and Ciara discussed this morning.

Gardaí are today searching an area of open land in Donabate, Co Dublin as part of an investigation into a missing child who they now presume is dead. We get the latest on this with Conor Lally, Irish Times Crime and Security Editor.

Billions of euros in planned data centre projects could be at risk following reports of a new government strategy looking to move future builds away from Dublin. Joining me now is Mike Beary, country leader for Amazon Web Services from 2017 to 2023, Now chair of the governing authority of University College Dublin. Mike, should we be concerned with this plan to move data centre projects away from Dublin?

Gardaí are investigating the disappearance of a child whom they fear may have died in unreported and suspicious circumstances in Dublin. Our reporter Stephanie Rohan is in Donabate and brings us the latest.

The European Commission has confirmed that President Ursula von der Leyen's plane disrupted due to suspected Russian GPS jamming while attempting to land in Bulgaria on Sunday. We get reaction to this from Ian Bond, Former British diplomat in Moscow, and now the Deputy Director at the Centre for European Reform.

Traitors Ireland kicked off last night on RTE 1, what can we expect from this season? All to chat with Hannah O' Connell, Host of “Shrine Podcast”.

It's the first full week of the new academic year, and while timetables and after school activities will feature heavily on parents' minds, so too will the issue of screentime. Newstalk's Technology Correspondent Jess Kelly bring us advice.

Sabrina Carpenter's new album “Man's Best Friend” features some of her most explicit lyrics yet, but is it a bold statement of female empowerment, or a step too far? We discuss with George Monaghan, Commissioning Editor at the New Statesman and author of the weekly newsletter Peaceable Land.

Sláintecare reforms being introduced into the health system are playing a major role in pushing up the cost of health insurance. We discuss all with Dermot Goode from Health Insurance Ireland.

Sláintecare reforms being introduced into the health system are playing a major role in pushing up the cost of health insurance. Are Sláintecare reforms worth the cost? Shane and Ciara discussed this morning.

Irish Novelist Naoise Dolan is among those taking part in the Global Sumud Flotilla setting sail this week in an attempt to break Israel's blockade of Gaza and deliver aid. Naoise explained to why she is taking part to Ciara this morning.

More than half of adults in Ireland believe children should start receiving pocket money by the time they reach the age of nine. But what is the right age to start? We asked Kel Galavan, Money Coach and Author.

If Ireland is serious about meeting its electric vehicle targets, household EV chargers should be exempt from planning permission requirements. That's according to Fine Gael TD for Dublin Bay South, James Geoghegan who spoke to Newstalk Breakfast this morning.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has endorsed former Dublin GAA football manager Jim Gavin as the Fianna Fáil candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election. But what else happened in the campaign over the weekend? All to discuss with Daniel McConnell, Editor at The Business Post.

Chun críoch a chur lenár seachtain na Gaeilge, we sent our reporter Sarah Madden to Coláiste Lurgan to dust off her cupla focail and have a bit of spraoí:

From Hozier to Inhaler and Sam Fender to Fatboy Slim, this year's Electric Picnic lineup is packing a punch! Today FM's Shelly Gray is here to get you into the swing of things.

Finally, the race for the Áras is beginning to heat up as Billy Kelleher looks set to throw his hat into the ring for the Fianna Fáil candidacy. So, how are those in the running shaping up? All to discuss with Newstalk's Political Correspondent Sean Defoe.

Social housing plays a vital role for vulnerable households, but excessive concentration in certain locations risks repeating previous mistakes and undermining the creation of balanced, mixed-tenure neighbourhoods. We discuss this and more with Colm Lauder, Founding Partner at Lauder Teacher and Business Post contributor and Conor Sheehan, Labour Party Housing Spokesperson and TD for Limerick City.

Almost a year to the day that schoolboy Kyran Durnin was first reported missing from his home in Drogheda, gardaí have renewed their appeal for anyone with any information on the case to come forward. We discuss this further with NewsTalk Reporter Barry Whyte.

Eighty thousand music fans will descend on Stradbally, Co. Laois, for this year's Electric Picnic. But will the EP attendees need to pack their raincoats? We get an idea of the weekend weather with Alan O'Reilly of Carlow Weather.

Requests from schools for voluntary contributions must be written in bold, plain language so that no family is misled. That's the call from Paul Lawless Aontú TD for Mayo, who says that too often these requests are wrapped in language that sounds like a bill.

The richest 10 per cent of households in the Republic hold almost half the wealth, according to new figures from the Central Bank. Given these figures, is a tax on the wealthy necessary? All to discuss with Dr Emma Howard, Economist at Technological University of Dublin.

The number of incidents involving “unruly” passengers on flights more than trebled, according to the Irish Aviation Authority. To discuss further we spoke to Jade Kirwan, Director of Communications of Ryanair.

Strike action by school secretaries and caretakers gets underway today with staff calling for pension equity with teachers. Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie who's at a school in Rathfarnham and he reported on the situation there.

It's Irish week all this week on Newstalk Breakfast. This morning we heard from Historian and ex-human rights worker Nadia Dobrianska who and has not only learned to speak English, but Irish too.

The UN's peacekeeping operation in Lebanon is set to end by 2027. To discuss this further Shane spoke to Defence and Security expert Declan Power.

Nearly 1 in 4 men under the age of 45 say they would “probably keep going” even if they suspected their partner isn't enjoying a sexual encounter, a 3 percent rise since last year. That's according to new research from the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre's We-Consent campaign, which also reported that 16% of young men aged between 18 and 24 are unsure what consent means. We discuss further with Eoghan Cleary, Secondary school teacher, Dublin Rape Crisis Centre Board member.

A HSE drug testing programme is returning to Electric Picnic this year after screening last year discovered high-strength MDMA pills. We got all the details about the programme with Nicki Killeen, Project Manager on Emerging Drug Trend Programmes with the HSE.

The number of people in Ireland aged 85 and over is projected to almost quadruple in the next 30 years, according to the Central Statistics Office. But what does that mean for the economics of a country, and how can we adapt? Shane discusses this further with Aedín Doris, Labour Economist and former member of the Pension Commission and member of the Department of Economics at Maynooth University.

After a failure to reach an agreement yesterday, strike action by school secretaries and caretakers gets underway today. For more on this, Ciara spoke to Andy Pike, Head of Education at Fórsa.

All this week on Newstalk Breakfast we are exploring the Irish language and its place in Irish society. Today, we are diving into the topic of education. We ask is the model for Gaeilge in schools fit for purpose? All to discuss with Shane O'Quinn, Chairman of Gréasán do Mhúinteoirí Gaeilge.

A new threat of higher electricity bills has emerged after the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities approved a rise in network charges. We get the latest on this with Daragh Cassidy, Head of Communications at Bonkers.ie.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose new tariffs and curb exports to countries with digital taxes or regulations that affect American tech companies. With the EU Digital Services Act in affect, this puts Ireland and its tech companies firmly in the firing line, but how can we react? For more on this we heard from Dan O'Brien, Chief Economist at the Institute of International and European Affairs and Columnist with The Currency.

Have you ever seen a whale off the Irish coast? Sadly, your chance of spotting one is perhaps the lowest it's ever been. Our reporter James Wilson went to learn why whales have deserted Ireland's seas in their droves.

Sport Ireland is set to develop a new “respect the ref” campaign in response to what it has identified as a rising incidence of abuse and disrespect towards officials. All to discuss with Rory Hickey Former Intercounty GAA Referee and GAA referees Administrator for Clare.

A number of patients at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda are being informed that tests regarding pre-cancerous cells have been incorrectly graded. Martin Wall of The Irish Times joined Ciara with the story.

CAO round 1 offers are out today at 2pm, and thousands of students will know their next steps into the future. Speaking to Shane this morning was Aisling Murray Fleming, DCU Guidance Course Director.

All this week, Newstalk Breakfast is celebrating all things Gaeilge. Ciara and Shane were joined by Hector Ó hEochagáin, Podcaster, TV Presenter and Anchor.

There has been an increase in the number of International Protection applicants entering the work force, according to a new study from the Central Statistics Office. The report also noted that non-Irish nationals, which include a number of International Protection applicants, accounted for 21 per cent of all employment in Ireland in the second quarter of this year .We discuss further with Cathal Malone, Immigration lawyer and Head of Legal Research at Thomas Coughlan and Co Solicitors.