Darren O'Rourke (Meath East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this important topic. The digital world is our children's playground, their library and their public square, yet for too long, it has been designed with profit, not protection, in mind. The current approach of light-touch or self-regulation has failed. As fines go uncollected and promises go unkept, we cannot accept the illusion of safety. We must move beyond blunt, reactive tools like blanket bans, which isolate children from education and community. Instead, we must target the very architecture of harm, the recommender systems.

These are the complex algorithms that decide what you see next. They are not neutral curators. They are engagement engines, programmed to maximise watch time and clicks. Their success is measured by data and dollars, not well-being. To keep a young user scrolling, these systems too often amplify extreme content, promote unrealistic body images or funnel users towards disinformation and hate. They create rabbit holes of harm, prioritising viral outrage over truth and commercialising childhood by trading attention for ad revenue.

This is why self-regulation is a fantasy. A profit-driven system will never voluntarily choose safety over stickiness. Current frameworks lack the teeth to mandate safer design by law. Eighteen months ago, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties expressed its disappointment that measures to address toxic algorithms were removed from Coimisiún na Meán's online safety code. It was not on its own. We need precise, enforceable regulation that compels platforms to fundamentally redesign these systems for younger users.

This is not about stifling innovation. It is about innovating for safety and upholding the rights of the child in the digital environment. This requires empowering our regulators with real enforcement capabilities. It requires robust age verification to create accountable spaces. Our children have a right to be online. Our duty is to make it safe for them. That means legislating for results, as well as mandating transparent and accountable algorithms that do not profit from poisoning childhood. Let us regulate recommender systems and put our children's safety before platform engagement.

See this speech in context