Photograph: George Chan/Getty ImagesLegally binding age classifications for websites and apps, similar to age ratings that exist for films and television shows, could be introduced under reforms proposed by a Government taskforce. The Coalition has already received legal advice on strengthening laws that make senior executives liable for noncompliance with online safety measures and is understood to have been told the area of law is extremely complicated. The online safety taskforce, which was chaired by children’s rights advocate Jillian van Turnhout, was set up in September 2024 in recognition of the harm that social media was doing to Irish children’s physical and mental health. The online taskforce is expected to recommend that the Government should go further and try to hold board members and big tech executives “accountable” for breaches of online safety rules that put children at risk. The online taskforce is expected to propose a new system where digital products and services are categorised by age-appropriateness, in a similar way to how films and TV shows are classified.

Source: The Irish Times December 10, 2025 09:02 UTC