Legally binding age classifications for websites and apps, similar to age ratings that exist for films and television shows, could be introduced under reforms proposed by a Government taskforce.
It is understood that the Department of Health’s online safety taskforce, which was set up to consider the public health risk the internet can pose to children, will also recommend that board members and executives of tech companies should be held liable for dangerous content on their platforms that poses a risk to children.
Earlier this week, The Irish Times reported that the Government expects pressure from foreign direct investment firms over any move to strengthen liability for senior tech executives.
The Coalition has already received legal advice on strengthening laws that make senior executives liable for noncompliance with online safety measures and is understood to have been told the area of law is extremely complicated.
RM Block
The online safety taskforce, which was chaired by children’s rights advocate Jillian van Turnhout, was set up in September 2024 in recognition of the harm that social media was doing to Irish children’s physical and mental health.
Its final report, which was completed last September of this year, is expected to be officially launched later this week by Ms van Turnhout and Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.
The report’s 10 recommendations are understood to include plans to place a greater responsibility on big tech companies for harmful but not illegal content served to children via social media algorithms.
Many of these tech companies base their European headquarters in Ireland and make major contributions to Ireland’s corporate tax receipts.
The report is expected to say platforms need to take a greater responsibility for mitigating the risk to children of seeing harmful content under their algorithm system.
[ Could Ireland follow Australia and ban under-16s from social media?Opens in new window ]
The report will recommend the Government reconsiders an “exemption from liability” for platforms that host content that is harmful but still legal. The report is understood to warn that if social networks are not proactive enough in removing harmful content on child safety grounds, the Government should consider whether they should be held liable for content that exposes children to harm under existing European and Irish law.
It will suggest that if those existing laws are not sufficient to protect children from being served dangerous content by their algorithms, more regulations should be drafted.
Under the existing Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, Coimisiún na Meán (the Media Commission) has the power to impose fines on platforms that do not take appropriate steps to protect their users from harmful content.
The online taskforce is expected to recommend that the Government should go further and try to hold board members and big tech executives “accountable” for breaches of online safety rules that put children at risk.
The report comes as the Government moves forward with plans to set up a new mechanism to verify the age of social media users, with a digital wallet linked to the existing MyGovID online identity system.
The online taskforce is expected to propose a new system where digital products and services are categorised by age-appropriateness, in a similar way to how films and TV shows are classified. Providers would then be required under law to enforce age-verification for their service in a way that is non-discriminatory and respects users’ privacy.
