Government to introduce social media ban for under-16s in online safety push

In December, communications minister Patrick O’Donovan confirmed a pilot project would be launched this year to develop a “trusted age verification tool” through the Government’s digital wallet. File picture

The Government will announce plans on Wednesday to introduce a social media ban for under 16s as part of a clampdown on online safety.

Ministers will be told that while Ireland would like to work with the EU to introduce bloc-wide restrictions, the Government is also prepared to act unilaterally if needed.

While several ministers, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, have repeatedly suggested they would like to see Irish youths restricted from using social media, this will be the strongest commitment yet to implement an outright ban.

At this afternoon’s Cabinet meeting, ministers will consider a new digital and AI strategy, which is understood to contain a focus on online safety.

The Irish Examiner understands the plan will confirm Ireland’s intention to introduce legislation to restrict social media for under-16s.

The plan will say this will be a priority when Ireland assumes the European presidency in the second half of this year.

Ministers will be told that while the Government’s preference is for a move on a youth social media ban to happen at a European level, the Irish Government will take action regardless.

A pilot of an age verification tool will take place in the first half of this year, with young people involved in the trial to assess how it will work in practice.

Ireland will become the latest EU country to introduce a minimum age requirement for social media. Last month, France’s National Assembly backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media, with Greece expected to follow suit. Spain, meanwhile, announced plans for a similar ban for under-16s.

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In December, communications minister Patrick O’Donovan confirmed a pilot project would be launched this year to develop a “trusted age verification tool” through the Government’s digital wallet.

It was envisaged that 2,000 young people, both under and over the age of 18, would take part in this pilot, which would send confirmation from the digital wallet to the social media platform that the user was old enough to use the platform.

Australia became the first country in the world to implement an all-out youth social media ban late last year.

Last week, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Irish Examiner that the Government is monitoring what is happening in Australia.

We keep everything under review in terms of a ban," he said.

It’s happening in Australia, so we’ll see how that is manifesting itself.

Mr Harris, meanwhile, expressed fears that Irish children are “not safe on the internet”, arguing he is not willing to “sit idly by” and wait for the European Commission to introduce legislation. 

He also argued the introduction of a minimum age is “not radical”, noting that restrictions exist for smoking, drinking, and voting.

Elsewhere, the digital and AI strategy being discussed by ministers at Cabinet will also confirm the need to keep legislation under review to address the advent of AI and technologies as tools that are being used to “intimidate or harass individuals”.

It is understood the Government will engage with the European Commission to ensure that the list of prohibited practices under Article 5 of the EU AI Act remains fit for purpose in the context of growing capabilities of AI. Article 5 dictates which AI practices can be prohibited.

The Government will also support Coimisiún na Meán in creating an information campaign to increase awareness about how to report harmful and illegal content, as well as the role of Coimisiún na Meán in relation to online safety.

This comes weeks after the Grok nudification scandal, which saw X’s AI chatbot responding to users’ requests to create sexually explicit images of women and children without consent.

The Data Protection Commission confirmed yesterday it has opened a “large-scale inquiry which will examine X’s compliance with some of their fundamental obligations under the GDPR in relation to the matters at hand”.

Louise Burne is Political Correspondent.