Council discuss need for effective age verification on the internet

A Cavan Fine Gael councillor has sounded the alarm on what she describes as a rapidly escalating digital danger - a system that is failing to protect children in an online world moving faster than the safeguards.

Framing the issue as one that touches every household, Niamh Brady warned that the gap between technology and child safety is growing wider by the day.

“As councillors, parents, and citizens, we all know that the online world is now a central part of our children’s lives,” she told the April monthly meeting of elected members. “But we also know that the internet was never designed with children in mind. That gap between how the internet works and how young people use it is widening.”

Despite existing rules across Ireland and the EU, Cllr Brady argued enforcement is little more than an illusion - easily bypassed and widely ignored.

“We have laws in Ireland and across the EU that set clear age limits for accessing certain online services. But let’s be honest: those age limits are often little more than a tick-box exercise. A child who is 10 can claim to be 16 with a single click. A teenager can access content that no parent would knowingly allow. Platforms, among the biggest companies in the world, continue to rely on systems they know are ineffective.”

Her conclusion was uncompromising: “This is not good enough, not for our children, not for our families, and not for society.”

Cllr Brady pushed back against claims that stronger systems would come at the cost of privacy.

“Effective age verification is not about storing sensitive data. It is about using technology that already exists to ensure that children are not exposed to harmful content, predatory behaviour, or addictive design features that undermine their well-being.”

Pointing to growing international momentum, she warned that Ireland risks falling behind while parents are left to cope.

“We know that other countries are moving ahead. We know that industry can deliver solutions when required. And we know that parents are crying out for support. What they want is simple: confidence that when their child goes online, the basic protections we expect in the offline world are enforced there as well.”

But she also framed the challenge as an opportunity — a chance for Ireland to take a leading role in shaping safer digital standards.

Her warning to policymakers was equally clear: “We cannot keep asking parents to be the sole regulator. We cannot continue relying on voluntary measures that have failed time and again. We cannot allow the online world to remain a space where children are effectively unprotected.”

She concluded by saying it is time for “meaningful, enforceable age-verification standards. It is time for action, and for Ireland to show leadership in shaping a safer digital future.”

Her motion was seconded by Sinn Féin's Stiofán Conaty who said there exists age limitations on people trying to purchase cigarettes and alcohol, but suggested that if restrictions are placed on access, that they have to be measured and well thought out. “We have to get it right.”

Independent Brendan Fay also backed the motion, as did Fianna Fáil's Áine Smith who has previously presented motions in a similar vein. She blamed tech companies and the algorithms used to “get kids addicted”.

Others to back the motion included Patricia Walsh (FF) and Trevor Smith (FG).

Published with support from the Local Democracy Scheme.