Tech firms must prove products safe for children - Mayo TD

IRELAND must move quickly to implement stronger protections for children online once European Commission proposals on social media, video-sharing platforms and AI chatbots are formally published, a Mayo Fine Gael TD has said.

Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Children, Deputy Keira Keogh said the proposals must be used to shift responsibility for children’s safety onto technology companies.

"We have seen a significant swell of movement on children's online safety over recent months," she said, pointing to landmark US legal cases, Australia's age restrictions, and Ireland's own progress on age-verification through the Digital Wallet as well as Coimisiún na Meán's investigation into X.

The Oireachtas Committee on Children has been examining technology, social media and children as a key priority, with a report containing recommendations to government nearing completion.

"If a technology company wants to provide a product or service to our children, it should have to demonstrate that the product is safe for children by design, rather than parents, regulators and governments having to demonstrate that it is unsafe after harm has occurred," said Deputy Keogh.

This was especially urgent for recommender algorithms, infinite scrolling, autoplay, contact from unknown adults and AI-powered services, adding that age limits alone cannot substitute for a safer underlying digital environment.

Deputy Keogh said Ireland cannot afford further delay once European direction is confirmed.

"We have been waiting for that European direction. If that direction is now coming, we must be equally clear that waiting for Europe cannot be followed by years of waiting for implementation," she said.

She particularly welcomed reports that AI chatbots will be included in the proposals, warning they present risks around emotional dependency, manipulation and exploitation.

"A chatbot can create a conversational relationship with its user. If a chatbot continually validates or reinforces the attitudes presented to it, we need to understand the potential consequences where those attitudes involve misogyny, sexual aggression, coercion or other harmful beliefs," she said.

Deputy Keogh also called for digital literacy to be treated as a cross-government priority in the upcoming budget, covering not just children but parents, teachers, older people and businesses.

"We cannot regulate every individual risk out of the internet. We need both a population equipped to navigate the digital world and technology companies required to make that world safer by design," she said.