X being investigated as media regulator raises online safety code concerns 

Coimisiún na Meán said age assurance is required on the X platform to ensure that children do not see videos “depicting pornography or extreme/gross and gratuitous violence or acts of cruelty on the platform”. File picture: AFP via Getty

X, formerly Twitter, is being investigated by the media regulator for alleged breaches of online safety rules.

Coimisiún na Meán said it has concerns over X’s compliance with age assurance and parental control provisions.

It is the first formal investigation under Online Safety Code into X.

The regulator said age assurance is required on the X platform to ensure that children do not see videos “depicting pornography or extreme/gross and gratuitous violence or acts of cruelty on the platform”.

Separately, as the X platform allows adult-only content and also allows children under the age of 16 to use its service, it is required by the Online Safety Code to provide parental control systems to ensure that parents and guardians have control over what type of content their children encounter.

The regulator says a concern exists that the parental controls put in place by X may not be effective, do not have minimum requirements, are hard to locate and are not brought to the attention of new users at sign-up stage.

John Evans, digital services commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán, said: “Children have a fundamental right to participate in society, which includes the digital world, and to be protected from harm, abuse and exploitation online.

“When developing Ireland’s Online Safety Code, our primary focus in Coimisiún na Meán was on protecting children from illegal and harmful content online and ensuring that parents and guardians had stronger methods to shape their children’s online experiences.” 

He added: “Our aim is clear: We want a media landscape that upholds the rights, wellbeing and development of children and their safe engagement with content.

“With the Online Safety Code, one part of our Online Safety Framework, we have outlined what we expect from video-sharing platforms used by children, and accessible to us all.”

In addition to Tuesday's investigation, the regulator has opened five other investigations into platforms within the last year, under the EU Digital Services Act.

These include X, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

It is also involved in four joint investigations which have been opened by the European Commission into TikTok, X and Shein.

If a platform is found in violation of the Online Safety Code, Coimisiún na Meán can apply an administrative financial sanction, including a fine of up to 10% of relevant annual turnover, or €20m, whichever is greater.