Plans to set an EU-wide minimum age limit restricting under-13s from accessing social media are to be discussed at a special meeting being organised by the Government next month.
Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has written to his EU colleagues asking them to come together to consider a landmark plan that would restrict access to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X for many children.
It comes after reports that the European Commission may water down its plans for a social media age limit and allow parents to give children under 13 permission to have social media accounts.
Following the introduction of a social media ban for under 16s in Australia, the European Commission set up a special panel on online safety, which made a number of recommendations in July.
These included setting a new age limit of 13 for social media access. Irish Ministers have previously indicated that they would favour a limit of 16, in line with the State’s digital age of consent.
Responding to a number of parliamentary questions on the issue, O’Donovan said the European Commission report was not yet an “agreed way forward” and that the proposals allowed some flexibility for countries like Ireland to “introduce additional precautionary access restrictions which could include varying the age at which a restriction would apply”.
He said the proposals would be discussed as part of Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, and confirmed that he had “written to member state ministers to convene a meeting in September to discuss the report of the special panel”.
Despite the Government indicating that it would like to set age limits for social media since last December, O’Donovan confirmed there are currently “no legislative proposals relating to a minimum age for access to social media”. However, such a legislative proposal may come from the European Commission shortly.
Last week, Politico reported that the EU’s landmark plan to set age limits would be “watered down” due to concerns about legal challenges. It said a new proposal would allow children to access social media with their parents’ permission.
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If Ireland does set an age limit for social media, it may use a digital wallet system to verify the age of teenagers. O’Donovan has asked the Office of the Chief Government Information Officer to arrange for the wallet to be tested with online platforms who agree to take part in such a pilot.
Meanwhile, Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Andrews has called on the European Commission to take a stronger line against social network Meta following the conclusion of a US legal action.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, recently settled a case where it was accused of harming children and causing social media addiction for more than $16.6 billion (€14.3 billion). The company also agreed to introduce time limits for children as part of the settlement.
Andrews is one of a number of MEPs who has signed a letter calling on the commission to press ahead with imposing penalties on Meta under the Digital Services Act for similar app design functions, which some have argued are harmful to children.