Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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229. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he is aware of the ‘Gen Free: Free to be Kids’ campaign; to outline the new measures his Department is proposing to enhance online safety for children;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54090/25]

Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael)
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Online safety, and in particular protecting children online, is a key Government priority. I welcome the work of all stakeholders promoting online safety for children, including the 'Gen Free: Free to be Kids campaign', which notes the detrimental impact of unregulated access to the internet and social media on our children and young people.

Coimisiún na Meán is at the heart of our online safety framework, and was established under the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Act, which transposed the AudioVisual Media Services Directive. That Act is one of three main elements of Ireland's online safety framework, the others being the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), under which An Coimisiún is Ireland’s Digital Services Coordinator, and the EU Terrorist Content Online Regulation for which An Coimisiún is also a competent authority on supervision and enforcement.

Under the OSMR Act, in October 2024, An Coimisiún adopted a new Online Safety Code for designated video-sharing platforms established in Ireland, including TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and X. The Code sets out what these platforms must do to protect users, in particular, to protect children from harmful content online. Part B of the code contains specific obligations for the platforms to put in place robust age assurance measures to prevent children from accessing adult content such as pornography or extreme violence.

Additionally, as Digital Services Coordinator under the DSA, An Coimisiún assists the European Commission, which is the lead regulator for very large online platforms to ensure they put in place the systems and processes required to minimise the availability of illegal content. In particular, it works with the European Commission to ensure platforms address the risk of exposure of children and young people to illegal and harmful online content.

Failure to adequately fulfil these obligations can lead to significant financial sanctions and continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management.

The Online Safety Framework is relatively new and the focus now is on implementation to ensure platforms meet their regulatory obligations. However, in terms of new measures, it is my view that robust age verification is essential for keeping children safe online. In June of this year, I met the main social media companies and reiterated this point to them. I am determined to make progress on this key issue and will work with other EU member states, including in the context of Ireland's Presidency of the EU next year, on effective and practical solutions that respect European law and have regard to the rights of children, while protecting them from harm. I am committed to working across Government and with all stakeholders to ensure children and young people can be safe from harmful or illegal content online, in particular, through robust age verification.