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Tech Platforms Face Irish Lawmakers Over Children’s Online Safety

The hearing will feed into a final report that could guide new rules on how apps protect young users.

Overview

  • Representatives from Meta, TikTok, Snap, Google and Microsoft are set to address the Oireachtas children’s committee on how they keep children safe online.
  • Meta plans to outline teen defaults on Instagram such as private accounts, the strictest content controls, overnight notifications off, and 60-minute usage reminders, alongside a claim that 97% of 13- to 15-year-olds keep these limits.
  • TikTok says it offers similar protections and stresses outreach to parents as a key part of teen support.
  • Meta argues age checks should happen at the app-store level so verification starts before a teen downloads an app.
  • The committee, chaired by Keira Keogh, says this is its final meeting on the topic and it will draft recommendations focused on harmful content, addictive design, algorithms, AI, and deepfakes.