Representatives from Facebook and Twitter will appear before an Oireachtas Committee today.

They have been invited along to outline how they protect users from cyber-bullying and their online responsibility as a whole.

The committee members have been discussing the rise of social media including the dangers of bullying and online harassment.

It is part of a series of hearings being heard before the Oireachtas Communications Committee on the use of social media.

'Passport numbers for internet use'

Yesterday the Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte spoke about the importance of striking the right balance between regulation and freedom of speech.

While Senator Eamon Coghlan proposed that asking people for their passport numbers or getting them to "pay to post" on social media could help tackle the issue of anonymity and cyber-bullying.

"If somebody is to sign up to seek an IP address should they give their passport number, should they give their credit card number?" he said.

"If somebody wants to post something on the internet, should they actually pay to post something on the internet - whereby trying to avoid people not posting something because it's now going to cost them something" he added.

Ian Power is spokesperson for Spunout.ie. He says they should have sought the opinions of younger people but cautions that he does not think the internet can be easily regulated.