Irish media watchdog opens formal probe of X over children’s access to porn and violent videos

# What happened Ireland's media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, has opened a formal investigation into the social platform X over concerns that children can access pornography and videos showing extreme or gratuitous violence. The probe is the first formal enforcement action under Ireland's Online Safety Code.

# Why the regulator intervened Coimisiún na Meán's platform supervision team reviewed X and identified possible weaknesses in two areas required by the Online Safety Code:

• Age assurance: The Code requires effective checks so children cannot normally see adult-only video content. The regulator said age assurance based only on self-declaration is not considered effective.
• Parental controls: The watchdog raised concerns that X's parental control systems may be ineffective, lack minimum required functions, are hard to locate, and are not presented as an option during account sign-up as the Code requires.

X allows adult-only content while also permitting under‑16s to use the service, which triggers specific obligations under the Code to prevent children encountering certain harmful video content.

# What the investigation will examine

• Makes those parental controls reasonably visible and offers them to users during account sign-up.

The regulator is explicit that systems relying solely on users declaring their age are not adequate.

# Enforcement powers and wider regulatory activity Coimisiún na Meán can apply administrative financial sanctions for breaches of the Online Safety Code, including fines up to 10% of relevant annual turnover or €20 million, whichever is greater.

Separately, the regulator has opened five other investigations into platforms established in Ireland under the EU Digital Services Act. These include probes into content-appeal rights on X, illegal-content reporting on TikTok and LinkedIn, and alleged dark patterns on Facebook and Instagram related to recommender systems. Coimisiún na Meán is also involved in four joint investigations with the European Commission, including inquiries linked to TikTok, X (Grok deployment), and Shein.

# What officials said

# Immediate implications For users and parents: expect scrutiny of how visible and functional X's parental controls are, and whether age verification steps are beefed up or reworked.

For X and similar platforms: the investigation signals closer regulatory attention in Ireland on platforms that mix adult-only content with under‑16 access. The probe could lead to required changes in product design, user flows, and moderation policies, and potentially heavy fines if non-compliance is found.

# Bottom line