Aisling Parkes, Ireland’s Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, warns a single age cutoff for social-media accounts risks silencing younger children and says platforms should bear ethical responsibilities for design and access.
The Committee on the Rights of the Child recommends assessing children individually by age, circumstances and evolving capacities rather than imposing uniform age bans.
Parkes wants a multipronged response: listening to children, educating them, and placing stronger responsibilities on tech companies.
Legal rulings in Europe are already testing age bans: France’s Constitutional Council found a ban on under-15s disproportionate to freedom-of-expression rights.
Israel commend Ireland for playing game saying 'football has won' Buckingham Village was supposed to reinvigorate Dublin's inner city. By 2022, it was its worst slum Paddy McKillen jnr built a hospitality empire – now the man with €270 in the bank owes €27.7m Is Ireland ready for a monster El Nino? Expect ugly potatoes, transport chaos and widespread disruption The Act is designed to set uniform age limits for children and impose safe design requirements on companies such as Meta and TikTok.
Now they're choosing immersive software engineering' Ireland v Israel build-up live: Fixture to be fulfilled due to 'significant majority' in player vote Ireland to fulfil Israel fixtures after player vote as Bazunu tells squad he will not play Weather warning: Builder-TV presenter Harrison Gardner: 'Ireland felt like the most welcoming country I'd ever been to' LATEST STORIES Ireland v Israel build-up live:
Social media exclusion unfair to children, says rapporteur – The Irish Times Social Affairs Social media exclusion unfair to children, says rapporteur Special Rapporteur on Child Protection says onus should be on tech companies to behave ethically The European Commission is set to unveil its EU Kids Act. Nick Ansell/PA Vivienne Clarke Tue Sept 15 2026. I think an approach that is multipronged is important.
The Online Safety and Children’s Digital Lives report examines two national surveys – one taking into account the experiences and views of children, the other exploring the sentiment held by parents and caregivers. Read more: Online education preferable for children to social media ban – report
Groups urge EU to make social media safer for children instead of banning minors from platforms
Petition argues that measures are required to protect children's innocence and development
The European Union unveiled proposals today to ban social media for children under 13, as a growing number of countries look to restrict children's access to the platforms following a global backlash.
Following the announcement of a proposed EU ban on social media for under 13s and safe design rules for older teenagers, students at St Mac Dara's Community College in Templeogue in south Dublin have been giving their views.
The European Commission has proposed banning children under the age of 13 from accessing social media as part of new plans aimed at protecting young people online.
Loading more related stories...
Open the app view to save this story, compare related coverage, and continue from the same source.