Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 June 2026
192. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport the outcome of his most recent discussions at EU level in relation to the introduction of social media restrictions for children which are urgently needed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48356/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra193. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to outline the proposals to advance the introduction of social media restrictions for children during the Irish Presidency of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48357/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 192 and 193 together.
Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from 1 July to 31 December this year. This will be an important opportunity for Ireland to lead and shape the European agenda, and my Department is committed to supporting the whole-of-Government effort to deliver a successful Presidency.
My key priority under the Irish Presidency will be to strengthen online safety for children and young people, which will include advocating for a decision at EU-level on the digital age of majority and highlighting the importance of robust, privacy-preserving age-verification measures. EU-wide approaches to these digital issues ensure the avoidance of fragmented regulation, of the resulting imposition of unnecessary administrative burdens, and of gaps in the application and enforcement of such regulations.
In recent meetings with Ministers from the other EU Member States in both Cyprus and Luxembourg, I have highlighted my aforementioned priority under the Irish Presidency of the EU in respect of online safety for children and young people. Further to these meetings, I have asked my officials to work on convening Member State Ministers so that we can discuss and direct the Council of the EU approach to online safety under the Irish Presidency. In this regard, of particular interest for our discussions is the ongoing work of the Special Panel on Child Safety Online, which was convened by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Among other things, the Special Panel is assessing the best EU-wide approach to keeping children safe online, including the potential for a common EU age limit for accessing social media, and how existing regulatory measures can be strengthened. The Special Panel is expected to report to the European Commission on 13 July, and I look forward to working with the Member States on our priorities in respect of any resultant proposal from the European Commission.
Within our various discussions on the matter of online safety, we must be also cognisant of the experiences and views of children and young people themselves, as these are policy matters that directly impact them and their participation in the online world. In that context, on 2 June, my Department held a Youth Forum on Online Safety at the National Concert Hall, Dublin. The event brought together a diverse group of approximately 100 children and young people from across Ireland to discuss, with trained facilitators, key aspects of online safety across five themes:
• Children’s and young people’s right to be heard: lived experiences online,
• Defining online safety through a child right’s lens,
• Children and young people as partners in designing safer digital spaces,
• Access, restrictions and the best interests of the child and young person, and,
• Equality, inclusion, and diverse digital experiences.
A report on the findings from the Youth Forum is currently in progress and will be submitted to my Department over the summer. These outcomes and findings from the Youth Forum will also feed directly into the wider programme for the EU Presidency Conference on Online Safety that I will host in Dublin Castle on 10-11 September.
