Cabinet Considers Plans for Social Media Ban for Under-16s

• The Cabinet will today consider a new Digital and AI Strategy that confirms the Government's intention to introduce legislation restricting social media access for children under the age of 16.

According to RTÉ News, a memo brought to Government by the Taoiseach will state that any social media ban introduced without evidence and EU alignment would not survive legal challenge.

The plan confirms that legislation is on the way to restrict social media for under-16s, with the first step being a pilot of an age verification tool involving young people to assess how the system will work in practice.

Ministers will hear that the system being developed is privacy-protective, legally sound and workable across every device.

Ireland is aligned with France on the issue, with that country set to introduce legislation first while the age verification system is developed here. Research to gather the views of parents and young people is set to begin soon, as the Government seeks to influence EU policy ahead of Ireland's EU Presidency in the second half of the year.

The strategy will also emphasise the need to keep legislation under review to address certain AI technologies used as tools to intimidate and harass. The Government will engage with the European Commission to ensure the list of prohibited practices under Article 5 of the EU AI Act remains fit for purpose amid the growing power of AI.

Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary, speaking on RTÉ's Today with David McCullagh, said the Government will have to "be careful" if the Public Services Card is to be used as part of the age verification method. He said the Department of Communications has indicated it will engage with his department, adding that the Public Services Card is predominantly designed for social protection services.

On the issue of restricting social media for under-16s, Minister Calleary said:

"We're very early days on this yet, but let's not lose sight of why we're doing this. It's to protect our children from the worst excesses of social media. I think there's a general agreement that that needs to be done."

However, the plans have drawn criticism. Digital Rights Ireland Chairperson, TJ McIntyre, speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, described the Government's age plans as worrying and representing a "lack of joined-up thinking."

Dr McIntyre, who is also an Assistant Professor at UCD School of Law, said there had been a lack of consultation on the matter and no examination of it by the Oireachtas, stating:

"This is something that has gone off on what is essentially the whim of the executive without any prior consultation. I would be very concerned that the whole thing is starting off rather half-cocked."

He added that age restrictions for under-16s would be very difficult to legislate for, particularly if a form of government identification would be required for social media access, noting that the Data Protection Commission has already determined on two separate occasions that aspects of the Public Services Card scheme are illegal.

"The talk of doing this unilaterally is already, I think, very unrealistic. This is something that can be done, if at all, only at an EU level," Dr McIntyre said.