Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy has told how he thinks it’s a difficult time for young people growing up because of social media.
The dad-of-two, who will reprised his role as mob boss Tommy Shelby for a sixth season of the hit series, explained how he believes things move at an “accelerated rate” in the modern age.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, he said: “I’m a father of two teenagers, I once was young.
“I recognise how tricky it is for a young person today in society.
“It is a very complex time growing up, things are changing a lot at a very accelerated rate.
“We’re all aware of the effect of the internet online and life online.
“It feels to me like lots of kids, like their life exists inside of this device. The idea that empathy would form part of a curriculum is an excellent idea. Young people are caring and compassionate and willing to be.
“Studies have shown that kids who are taught empathy have their other academic learning helped in a positive way.”
The Cork native was speaking in Dublin today to launch a new empathy education programme for secondary schools along with NUI Galway.
It comes after Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight recently confirmed that he had completed writing the sixth season, with fans excited to see Tommy Shelby return to the small screen.
Murphy was focused today on the part that the young people of Ireland and the bright future they can bring.
He said: “Young people in this country (Ireland) will soon be running the place, making the laws, teaching the next generation, writing the novels, making the TV shows that are beamed into our houses.
“It’s essential that we give them as broad and caring an education as we can.
“You can’t really be an actor without employing empathy as a very important tool in your arsenal.”
The new education programme, Activating Social Empathy, is part of work undertaken by a team of researchers at NUI Galway.
Murphy, 43, who also starred in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, spoke about how much he enjoyed transition year when he attended secondary school in Cork.
He added: “I remember loving transition year, it felt like a real oasis between the junior cycle and senior cycle.
“The senior cycle brings a huge amount of pressure with the senior cycle.
“It suits some kids, there certainly seems to be more room in the junior cycle for this.
“I’m a big advocate of transition year, it’s a very healthy thing to have a pause between two cycles for kids to experience.”
Music has always been a big release for him and the keen musician was in a rock band before he shot to fame as an actor.
He said: “I played music in school, it was a relief from the pressure I felt particularly the Leaving Cert.
“I didn’t react very well to the pressure.
“Both my mother and father were teachers, my grandfather was a headmaster, all my aunts and uncles are teachers.
“It was a real release for me, it wasn’t part of the curriculum, I had to find time to go to the band room for half an hour with my pals making some music.
“If it could be integrated into the senior cycle.
“It’s difficult to find the room and bring these additional subjects in.”
A major focus of the UNESCO Chair’s work both nationally and internationally, is the role of empathy in the development of social understanding and its potential to enable young people to foster better social responsibility, civic behaviour and action.
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