A possible ban on social media use for children under the age of 16 is being examined at European level, with the issue now moving firmly onto the national political agenda in Ireland.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that the Government is examining the possibility of a social media ban for under-16s, with a preference for action to be taken on an EU-wide basis rather than by Ireland alone. RTÉ has reported that Mr Martin said European Commission proposals are expected, while also acknowledging concern that a ban could push some young people towards more dangerous online spaces.
The issue is likely to be closely watched by parents, schools, youth groups and mental health advocates across Roscommon, where questions around smartphones, social media use, online bullying and children’s wellbeing have become part of everyday family and school life.
Supporters of tighter restrictions argue that children are being exposed too early to addictive platforms, harmful algorithms, unrealistic body image content, online bullying and inappropriate material. They say voluntary controls by technology companies have not gone far enough and that stronger rules are needed to protect young people.
However, there are also major questions around how any ban would work in practice. These include how platforms would verify a user’s age, whether restrictions would apply to all social media platforms, what privacy safeguards would be needed, and whether children could simply bypass the rules by using other websites, fake details or unregulated platforms.
For schools, the debate is also likely to raise wider questions about phone use, digital literacy and the responsibility of parents, platforms and the State. In many households, social media is already a point of tension between children and parents, particularly when it comes to screen time, sleep, concentration and online safety.
Growing concern around artificial intelligence tools that can create fake explicit images is also set to become a major online safety issue for schools, parents and young people.
The EU Council and European Parliament have provisionally agreed to a new measure under the EU’s AI Act that would ban AI systems used to generate non-consensual sexual or intimate content, as well as child sexual abuse material. The measure specifically targets so-called “nudification” apps and similar systems that can be used to create explicit images without a person’s consent.
Under the proposed rules, the ban would apply to placing AI systems on the EU market for the purpose of creating such content, placing them on the market without reasonable safety measures to prevent such misuse, and using such systems for the purpose of creating non-consensual sexual or intimate images. Companies are expected to have until December 2, 2026, to bring systems into line, although the agreement still requires formal adoption before becoming law.
