Ireland, home to EU tech hubs, mulls teen social media ban

The Irish government is considering plans to introduce age restrictions on social media platforms as part of a broader AI strategy at a cabinet meeting Wednesday.“Ireland will strongly advocate for a decision on the ‘digital age of majority’ to be taken at EU level,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a memo seen by Bloomberg, adding it will “take action domestically if necessary.”

It also added it would work actively with like-minded European Union member states to explore options to introduce age restrictions on the use of social media especially for under-16s.
The AI strategy also includes objectives to invest in AI infrastructure and cyber security along with strengthening Ireland’s position as a digital regulatory hub.Momentum to ban social media for teens has gained traction in Europe over concerns the platforms are harmful and addictive. At least 10 European nations, including Spain, France, the UK, and Poland are mulling limits, following Australia’s move to block under-16 accounts in January.

Also Read: Spain to ban social media access for under-16s, PM Sanchez says

Ireland, home to the European headquarters for several tech giants including Meta Platforms Inc. previously said it plans to roll out an age verification pilot for social media platforms, using a digital government ID wallet.

“We’re hoping to be able to roll out a pilot of that next month, which I think is an important step,” Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris told Virgin Media earlier in February. “I think this is getting very close to a public health emergency. It’s certainly a major public health issue.”

Also Read: Goa considering Australia-like social media ban for children below 16