Ireland’s current Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) Des Hogan has urged for continuous and sufficient action to protect children online, stating that “we can’t be doing enough” given that online platforms have become children’s “playground, workplace, and night club”.
Key actions and issues highlighted by the DPC and Ireland’s Online Safety Commissioner include:
- Increased Regulation: The DPC emphasizes the need for strong data regulation to ensure child safety is a chief concern. The DPC and Coimisiún na Meán (Ireland’s media regulator) have issued a joint statement to advance children’s safety and data protection rights online.
- Age Assurance: Mandatory age assurance measures for content that may be harmful to children (such as adult-only video content) will come into effect in Ireland in the future. The DPC has also warned that age verification should not lead to excessive data harvesting from children.
- Combating Illegal Content: There are significant concerns about the rise of self-generated and AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and the watchdog is actively working with online platforms to address this. The public can report suspected illegal content through Hotline.ie.
- GDPR Enforcement: The DPC has used its powers under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to impose significant fines on tech giants like Meta for past infringements related to children’s data handling, highlighting a commitment to enforcement.
- Accountability of Platforms: The DPC wants rights and best interests of children to be respected and upheld by the online platforms themselves.
