Ireland may be heading towards a formal ban on social media use for children under 16, as the government signals tougher enforcement and possible new measures.
Tánaiste Simon Harris has said the “age of self-regulation is over”, calling for strict enforcement of Ireland’s Age of Digital Consent laws. Speaking in a television interview, Harris said he believes the country must reach a point where anyone under 16 is not allowed to be on social media at all.
Under the Data Protection Act 2018, Ireland’s age of digital consent is 16, meaning social media and online platforms must obtain parental consent before processing the personal data of children. Harris stressed that these are already laws, not guidelines, and that breaches can result in significant fines.
Grok controversy accelerates debate
The renewed push follows controversy surrounding Grok, the AI system linked to X. Since January, Gardaí have been investigating around 200 complaints alleging the generation of non-consensual sexual images involving children and adults.
Ireland’s AI Minister Niamh Smyth has warned that Grok could be banned in Ireland if it fails to comply with the law. The European Commission has also launched an investigation this week. Separately, the UK government is preparing its own ban on social media use for under-16s.
Age verification on the way
Harris said the government will ask social media companies to implement age-verification measures by March, adding that some platforms have already agreed to cooperate.
“But quite frankly,” Harris said, “I believe we need to get to a point where if you are under 16, you cannot be on social media.”
While no legislation has yet been published, the comments mark the strongest signal so far that Ireland is preparing decisive action to limit children’s access to social media platforms.