“We cannot afford to wait when it comes to protecting our children from the dark side of social media.” – MEP Cynthia Ní Mhurchú.
The decision to implement an EU Kids Act – a single, EU-wide set of rules providing equal level of protections for all children on social media – has been welcomed by the Ireland South MEP.
This new act, which has a targeted approach for different age groups, sets out the following rules:
- For children aged 0 to 3 – a total ban on social media access
- For children aged 3 to 13 – “child friendly” versions of social media only
- For children aged 13 to 15 – permission to open a social media account only with the consent of a parent or guardian who will have the right to monitor their activity. A screen limit will also be imposed on the account
- For teenagers aged 15 to 18 – access to “safe by design” versions of social media only
Since Ní Mhurchú’s election to the European Parliament in 2024, she has been prioritising making social media safer for children. Parents and interest groups have made the dangers of these platforms abundantly clear, and in recent years the dangers they pose have only become clearer.
This is why there is no time to lose when it comes to implementing this new EU Kids Act, which was announced by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in her State of the Union address this week.
Ní Mhurchú welcomes the fact that this is not a blanket ban, which she believes would only push children, who are very tech-savvy, to even less regulated dark spaces on the internet.
The Ireland South MEP is particularly interested in the “safe by design” versions of social media being created for teenagers which, in practical terms, will mean:
- An end to addictive features, such as infinite scrolling
- More control over recommended content that appears on feeds – a recommendation that was set out in the Oireachtas report published earlier this year
- A greater emphasis on privacy of content
- Restrictions on who can contact users in this age bracket
- More control for parents
These measures, once implemented, can be more effective than the type of outright ban we saw in Australia, which has proven difficult to enforce.
Irish parents recognise that children could be able to circumvent a blanket ban, as outlined in a report titled ‘Online Safety and Children’s Digital Lives’ published by Coimisiún na Meán. The research was based on a survey of 1,002 children aged 9-17 and one of their parents or caregivers in their household.
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated that a priority of the Irish Presidency is online safety for children.
Ní Mhurchú is therefore hopeful that while Ireland is at the helm of the Council, it can drive forward the implementation of this new Act as a matter of urgency.
