Taoiseach rules out 'knee-jerk' reaction of social media ban for children

Speaking to reporters in Angola, the Taoiseach said there will be 'developments' on stricter controls for Irish teens, but it is unlikely to happen before the end of the year. Photo: Henry Nicholls/PA

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said the Government will adopt an "evidence-based approach" to control the impact of social media on young people and will not react in a “knee-jerk” fashion to bans being imposed in other countries.

Australia will become the first country to introduce a social media ban for all children under the age of 16. The law will apply to X, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, Twitch and Kick.

Ahead of the December 10 ban, Snapchat has started asking children and teenagers to confirm their ages or face having their accounts locked. People can verify their age in several ways, including through a connection with their Australian bank account.

Speaking to reporters in Angola, the Taoiseach said there will be "developments” on stricter controls for Irish teens, but it is unlikely to happen before the end of the year.

The programme for Government commits to “examining ways to enforce age verification obligations on online service providers and hold them to account for failure to do so”.

Earlier this month, Tánaiste Simon Harris called for a debate on social media in the Dáil, suggesting that more has to be done to protect young people.

The Taoiseach said any changes imposed needs to be thought through but said all the regulations are under review.

“I haven't seen that in any great detail (the Australian model). We're working with Coimisiún na Meán and others in terms of the entire regulatory process,” he said.

“We’ve taken steps in terms of school children. You remember the row about (phone) pouches, in respect of taking mobile phones out of the school environment, which I think is important in terms of the academic development of children.

“We will constantly keep regulation under review. I'm not going to, in a knee-jerk way, just respond to the Australian initiative.

“There are really serious issues in terms of how algorithms are developed, how a whole range of issues that affect the health and wellbeing of young people are developed online, and how they impact on children and young people online.

“I think we need an informed and evidence-based approach to it, and we're up for that.”

Mr Martin said changes are unlikely before the end of the year, noting that there is only six weeks left of 2025.

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He added: “It is a serious issue that we want to address properly, and there will be developments on that front."

The Irish Examiner understands media minister Patrick O’Donovan recently sought legal advice about how to tackle age verification using domestic Irish law.

It is further understood that a legal and technical framework could be put in place for age verification to be developed through the Government “digital wallet” that is being developed. This would require legislation.