Legislation to ban social media access for under-16s is not being prepared by Government, which will instead consult the EU and “like-minded countries” to promote measures that may keep children off the online platforms.
Government spokespeople were unable to say when any such restrictions might be in place despite repeated statements from Ministers, including Tánaiste Simon Harris, in recent months promising moves to introduce a ban.
The Cabinet yesterday approved a digital and artificial intelligence strategy but, despite expectations within Government, it did not contain a promise to ban under-16s from social media.
Instead, the document committed the Coalition to “working actively with like-minded EU member states to explore options to introduce age restrictions on the use of social media, concentrating, in particular, on those under 16 years of age”.
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Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, the Government spokesman confirmed that “no legislation is being drafted now” to introduce a ban on under 16s accessing social media.
Instead, he said, the Government would work with partners on proposals for age verification, which could in future end up preventing under-16s from accessing some social media content.
He said it was not possible to give a specific timetable for when any measures might be brought into force, but added that if the EU did not chose to act, it was open to the Government to draft its own legislation.
He said the issue would be a priority of the Irish presidency of the EU, which runs for the second half of this year.
Despite Government hopes that the EU would take the lead on restricting social media access for children, Independent MEP Michael McNamara, the European Parliament’s rapporteur on AI, said a ban on social media “at EU level for under-16s would be very much against the direction of travel of this” European Commission.
[ New digital and AI strategy to confirm plans for under-16s social media banOpens in new window ]
McNamara was among a number of MEPs to address the Seanad yesterday, saying “one could argue Donald Trump has had more success in implementing his agenda with regard to big tech in the Berlaymont than he has on Capitol Hill”.
“He has tried to get a moratorium on state legislation through and has failed. Nobody really knows what was agreed with von der Leyen but the direction of travel is certainly not towards banning them.”
A spokeswoman for Minister for Media and Culture Patrick O’Donovan said that a “wide pilot is planned for early this year, followed by legislation to support rollout”.
“The Minister is engaging with social media platforms to ask them to participate in the pilot programme,” she said. “The focus is shifting from laws and regulation to practical tools that families can trust – especially age verification.”
It is understood that some internet and social media companies, including Google, have engaged with the department on the proposals, though others have not.
Meta and TikTok did not say if they had engaged, while X could not be contacted.
The moves come as Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive of Meta, which runs Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, was due to testify in a landmark legal case in California over whether social media is addictive for children.
The outcome of the case, which is being taken by a woman who says she was damaged by becoming addicted to social media as a child, could have significant implications the social media giants and how they are regulated.
There are reportedly thousands of similar cases pending against social media firms.
