Ireland’s Online Safety Code – Why Age Assurance Matters

When Ireland’s Online Safety Code officially came into force on July 21, 2025, it was hailed as a major milestone in safeguarding young people from online harms. The regulations now require video-sharing platforms with EU headquarters in Ireland to implement “effective” age assurance systems that prevent children from accessing pornography, violent content, cyberbullying, and material promoting self-harm or eating disorders.

As RTÉ and The Journal reported, day one of enforcement saw no meaningful change. Children are still accessing pornography, violent videos, and toxic social media feeds with ease. The simple reason being: Ireland has no national age assurance infrastructure. Platforms are still being left to self-regulate. The Code gives them until July 2026 next year, to submit safety plans. That’s another year of unchecked exposure. Another full year of potentially catastrophic harm, which to be fair is completely unacceptable.

Ireland’s Online Safety Code, what was the reality?

When Ireland’s Online Safety Code came into force on July 21, 2025, I warmly welcomed it. Not just as a formality, but as a long-overdue first step toward protecting children from online exploitation and harm. Unfortunately, over time I’ve learned that legislative policy without substantial infrastructure, fails victims. It fails to eventually prevent against harm.

The Online Safety Code requires platforms to implement an “effective” age assurance system. Yet from a frontline policing perspective, we continue to see harmful consequences. Children accessing adult content, interacting with online predators, and developing severe psychological responses to algorithmically reinforced abuse material. If children can still click “Yes, I’m over 18”, to bypass controls, then the system is not effective. To be honest no matter how well intentioned the regulation may be, it’s not fit for purpose.

What we are dealing with is not a question of access alone. It’s a matter of vulnerability, targeting, and psychological manipulation. Children are not merely passive recipients of harmful content. They are being algorithmically profiled and served materials that escalate in severity, Also they are being contacted by individuals who have mastered the art of grooming, through gamified environments and chat features embedded across platforms.

The forensic profiles often examined by police do not originate in the dark web. They often begin with a Roblox friend request. They evolve through a private Instagram message. And they culminate in exploitation, trauma, and at times criminal investigation.

Understanding Age Assurance and why It’s essential

Age assurance refers to any system used to estimate or verify a person’s age before giving access to age-restricted content or services. This can include uploading a legal document (age verification) or using advanced technologies like AI-based facial analysis (age estimation). Crucially, the best systems safeguard user privacy while offering reliable results.

It’s more than a technicality, age assurance is the foundation of meaningful online child protection. Without it, platforms rely on self-declaration. This is easily faked by simply entering the wrong details in the birthdate field. There is often also an option to click on the yes tab when asked “Are you over 18”. This is how many children access platforms like Pornhub, or OnlyFans, sign up despite being underage. Sites such as Xhamster do not have any age assurance as of today.

Age assurance, encompasses both age verification and age estimation. It is not about intrusive ID checks or compromising privacy. At its core, it’s about ensuring platforms have reliable methods to assess whether a user is genuinely the appropriate age.

Companies, like UK-based Yoti, are already leading the way with facial age estimation tools. These protect user anonymity while accurately identifying minors. Their technology is already used by Instagram, Yubo, and PlayStation, yet Ireland has not adopted, or endorsed such solutions as a national standard.

Ireland has no national age assurance system

That is not just a technical shortcoming. It is a systemic failure to intervene before the harm occurs. Waiting until July 2026 for platforms to submit safety plans is not a pause; it is a delay in triage while the patient continues to bleed. Each month without structural intervention results in further victimisation, deeper trauma, and a more complex criminal landscape for law enforcement to navigate.

To be clear, age assurance is not about infringing on children’s rights. It is about acknowledging their psychological development, their emotional vulnerabilities, and their need for structured digital boundaries. When tech platforms push back against these measures under the guise of protecting freedom or preserving engagement, they disregard the forensic evidence that shows how these environments are being weaponised.

Social Media Platforms: Sign-Up & Age Assurance in Ireland (2025)

Adult Content Platforms: Protections in Ireland (2025)

Currently, most sites ask only for a birthdate. Typing “2006” instead of “2012” unlocks adult accounts. And simply clicking “Yes, I’m 18” gives unrestricted access to sites like Pornhub, XHamster and OnlyFans — platforms clearly unsuitable for children.

Under Ireland’s Online Safety Code, platforms hosting adult-only video content (pornography, extreme violence) must implement robust age verification — but this only applies to platforms with EU headquarters in Ireland

OnlyFans, Pornhub, XHamster

• These platforms do not have EU HQs in Ireland, so they fall outside the scope of Coimisiún na Meán’s regulation.
• They are instead subject to the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), which is enforced by other regulators across Europe.
• As of today, children in Ireland can still access these sites without meaningful barriers unless the platforms voluntarily implement age checks.

What’s Required by Law in Ireland

• Self-declaration is banned as a valid age check.
• Platforms must use effective age assurance like:
  • Facial recognition
  • Cognitive tests
  • ID uploads (passport, driver’s license)
• Platforms must offer parental controls and complaint procedures.
• Fines for non-compliance: up to €20 million or 10% of turnover

True age assurance changes that. British identity firm Yoti⁵ has created privacy-first facial estimation tools accurate enough to detect minors without capturing or storing biometric data. Instagram, PlayStation and Yubo already use it. Ireland, however, has yet to endorse any solution or roll out a standard approach.

Compare this to other jurisdictions

In the UK, platforms must comply with “highly effective” age checks under the Online Safety Act by July 2025. Ofcom has published clear guidance, listing facial estimation, ID matching and mobile network checks as valid methods.

Australia recently completed a national Age Assurance Technology Trial, confirming that privacy-first tools are feasible and effective. The EU is also moving forward, piloting digital ID apps and expanding its Digital Services Act to include age verification requirements for large platforms.

In Ireland, however, the lack of a unified framework means platforms are left to self-regulate. This leads to inconsistency, limited oversight, and continued reliance on self-declared birthdates. A method long proven to be unreliable.

Snapchat, one of the most widely used apps among Irish teens, escapes regulation entirely because its EU headquarters are located outside Ireland. And adult websites like Pornhub, XHamster, and OnlyFans are similarly unregulated here, though theoretically governed by EU law.

The Reality of Harmful Exposure in Ireland

Recent data paints a troubling picture:

• 40% of Irish children have experienced cyberbullying, and many are exposed to pornography, online grooming, and violent content, often without telling anyone.
• 88% of Irish parents worry about what their children see online, with 66% specifically concerned about exposure to explicit material.
• A quarter of children aged 8–12 have encountered harmful content online, including scams, horror, and sexual material, most commonly on YouTube and Roblox.
• 84% of under-12s have social media accounts despite age restrictions, and 65% have been contacted by strangers during online gaming.

These aren’t abstract risks. They’re daily realities for Irish families. What Irish families still lack is genuine protection. Children remain vulnerable to exposure, exploitation, and algorithm-driven harm. Parents are left with patchy tools and vague promises, while platforms continue to operate without clear accountability or uniform standards.

If Ireland truly wants to lead in online child protection, it must go beyond regulation and embrace infrastructure. That means establishing a national, privacy-respecting age assurance system, setting clear technical standards, expanding jurisdiction to include platforms headquartered abroad, and regulating the algorithms that shape online experiences. Without these measures, the Online Safety Code remains a symbolic gesture, not a shield.

Real protection isn’t about fines and press releases. It’s about systems that work. It’s time Ireland closed the gap.

Why Is Ireland Taking So Long?

Despite the rollout of the Online Safety Code, enforcement remains weak. Platforms have until July 2026 to submit their own safety plans — meaning children remain exposed for another year.

Several factors contribute to the delay:

• Jurisdictional gaps: Platforms like Snapchat and adult sites are outside Ireland’s regulatory reach.
• Lack of infrastructure: Ireland still has no national age assurance system.
• Overreliance on self-regulation: Platforms are left to choose their own methods, with no mandatory standards.
• Fragmented oversight: Coimisiún na Meán lacks the tools to audit and enforce compliance effectively.

As CyberSafeKids CEO Alex Cooney put it, “We surely owe our children a stronger response”.

Rights vs. Risks: A False Binary?

Some advocates argue that children have a right to access the digital world, citing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. But this right must be balanced against the right to safety, privacy, and mental health.

UNICEF acknowledges that while digital access empowers children, it also exposes them to sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, and manipulative design — especially with AI-driven platforms.

Eurochild’s 2025 position paper warns that normalising online risk leads children to accept harm as part of digital life, reducing the likelihood of reporting abuse.

In short: access without protection is not empowerment, it’s abandonment.

Who’s Pushing Unsafe Tech?

Some tech companies and digital rights groups resist age assurance, citing privacy and access concerns. But this stance can be harmful when:

• Platforms design for engagement, not safety — using algorithms that amplify harmful content.
• AI features are rolled out without guardrails, exposing children to deepfakes, grooming, and misinformation.
• Dark patterns manipulate children into sharing data or staying online longer.

Here is a real-world example – The “SkinnyTok” trend on TikTok, which promotes disordered eating, is algorithmically reinforced and difficult to escape. Another is the “Blackout Challenge”, which has led to child fatalities.

So What Needs to Change

Ireland should immediately:

• Establish a national age assurance platform with privacy safeguards.
• Mandate safety-by-design for all platforms used by children.
• Regulate recommender algorithms, not just access gates.
• Fund digital literacy education and parental support.
• Empower Coimisiún na Meán with even more audit and enforcement powers.

Ireland must act. Not next year. Not in committee. Now.

• We need a national age assurance infrastructure, privacy-respecting and auditable mandatory standards, not optional guidelines.
• We need to regulate recommender systems that push children toward harm.
• We need oversight of platforms headquartered outside our jurisdiction.
• And we need Coimisiún na Meán to be equipped to enforce, not just advise.

The Online Safety Code was written to be a shield. But right now, it’s a very thin veil, a soft promise that hides how little protection we actually offer. Children are being failed. Parents are being misled. The delays are damaging. And the consequences are not hypothetical. If we are serious about protecting children online in Ireland, the time for press releases is over. The time for accountability, infrastructure, and leadership has arrived. Because children deserve more than words. They deserve protection.

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References

• RTÉ News. “New Age Verification Rules for Online Platforms in Place.” July 21, 2025. https://www.rte.ie/news/2025/0721/1524435-online-platform-verification

• The Journal. “New Age Verification System Comes into Place to Prevent Children Accessing Adult Video.” July 21, 2025. https://www.thejournal.ie/new-age-verification-system-comes-into-place-to-prevent-children-accessing-adult-video-6769084-Jul2025

• Irish Independent. “Day One of Online Age Crackdown: No Change as Children Still Able to Log into Adult Content and Social Media Sites.” July 21, 2025. https://www.independent.ie/business/technology/day-one-of-online-age-crackdown-no-change-as-children-still-able-to-log-into-adult-content-and-social-media-sites/a2054352079.html

• Irish Statute Book. Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022. Enacted by the Government of Ireland. https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2022/act/41/enacted/en/html

• Coimisiún na Meán. “Online Safety Code Application.” https://www.cnam.ie/industry-and-professionals/online-safety-framework/online-safety-code/

• CyberSafeKids. “Children Are Experiencing Real Harm Online. Where’s the Urgency to Address This?” https://www.cybersafekids.ie/children-are-experiencing-real-harm-online-wheres-the-urgency-to-address-this/

• INTO. “INTO Welcomes Report on Children’s Online Safety.” April 2025. https://www.into.ie/2025/04/09/into-welcomes-report-on-childrens-online-safety/

• Webwise. “Safer Internet Day Survey: 64% of Parents Unaware If Children Have Been Upset Online.” https://www.webwise.ie/trending/64-of-parents-are-unaware-if-children-have-been-bothered-or-upset-by-something-that-has-happened-to-their-child-online-safer-internet-day-survey/

• Eurochild. “Children’s Rights Online: Position Paper 2025.” https://eurochild.org/resource/childrens-rights-online/

• UNICEF Global Insight. “Online Safety for Children in the Digital Age.” https://www.unicef.org/globalinsight/online-safety-children-digital-age

• BBC News. “Risky Online Behaviour Among Teens.” https://www.bbc.com/news/education-31311927

• Ofcom UK. “Ofcom Publishes Guidance on Age Checks.” 2024. https://www.ofcom.org.uk/news-centre/2024/online-safety-ofcom-publishes-guidance-on-age-checks

• Australian Government via The Register. “Age Assurance Technology Trial Findings.” June 2025. https://www.theregister.com/2025/06/20/australia_age_assurance_trial_findings/

• European Commission – Digital Services Act Overview. https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/digital-services-act

• Yoti. “Facial Age Estimation and Age Assurance Solutions.” https://www.yoti.com/age-assurance/