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Tánaiste Simon Harris has said he wants to stop describing proposed social media ban for children under 16 from accessing social media as a “ban”, arguing that the word “ban” sounds “negative”.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday following comments by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that proposals on social media restrictions for children will be brought to Member States in September, the Fine Gael Minister reiterated his support for preventing children below a certain age from accessing social media platforms.
Harris said he wanted to correct his own language when discussing the issue.
“I’m correcting myself in relation to the use of the word ‘ban’,” he said.
“I think ‘ban’ sounds like nearly a negative word. But the idea that children below a certain age should not be on social media – I think that’s a view widely shared by parents right across this country. I’d argue it’s a view shared by parents right across this world. And I think it has to be around the digital age of consent.”
Later in the exchange, Harris again distanced himself from the language of a “ban”, saying he viewed the proposal as a measure to protect children rather than something inherently negative.
“This should be seen as a good thing,” he said.
“Not a ‘ban’ in a negative sense, a good thing to give children back their childhood… I’m open to ideas, I’m open to how you do it. And I’m also open to the technology companies coming forward and taking action.”
Harris said his preferred age would remain 16 because that is Ireland’s digital age of consent, although he noted that some countries are considering a lower threshold of 15.
He welcomed the European Commission’s work on the issue and said it would be preferable for Member States to adopt a common approach rather than introducing separate national rules.
“I accept the UK is not in the European Union but it’s made it clear that it intends to move in terms of legislation next year probably around the age of 16,” he said.
“You’ve already seen a number of other countries including France talking about initiatives they’re taking. It would be really useful and most impactful if the European Union could move together on this… I think that would be helpful from a child protection and wellbeing point of view, absolutely, but also helpful from an industry point of view to have one set of rules.”
Asked whether Ireland would proceed with legislation if an EU-wide agreement could not be reached, Harris said Ireland retained the right to legislate independently, although he described a coordinated European approach as preferable.
He argued that social media companies already possess the technology to enforce age restrictions if they chose to do so.
“They have the technology, they’re technology companies, to do it and they’ve chosen not to,” he said.
“That’s the most frustrating thing. They have the technology to do it – they’re technology companies – and they’ve chosen not to. That worries me.”
Harris also dismissed suggestions that age restrictions should not be introduced because some children could find ways to bypass them.
“And people say things that kind of irk me a little bit,” he said.
“People say things like ‘but sure if you bring in the ban they’ll just get around it’. Yeah, that’s not a reason to not have an age limit for drink, despite the fact that I’m sure a younger person under the age of 18 is able to buy a few cans.
“So just because there’s ways around them is missing the point. It’s about what we want to be the cultural norm.”
The Government has been pressing for an EU-wide framework governing children’s access to social media, with legislation expected to be discussed following the publication of the Commission’s proposals in September.
Critics of mandatory age verification have argued that enforcing such restrictions could require users to verify their identity before accessing online services. They contend that such systems could effectively end anonymous internet use more broadly, raising concerns about privacy and the potential implications for freedom of expression if identity verification became more widespread across online platforms.
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