Cynthia Ní Mhurchú

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú, Fianna Fáil MEP for Ireland South and a barrister, said the European Parliament should introduce new age-verification requirements to protect children from being exposed to harmful, violent and sexual content online.

Although the digital age of consent in Ireland is 16, research by Irish charity CyberSafeKids suggests that 84 per cent of Irish children aged between 8 and 12 have their own social media account, despite platforms having a minimum age requirement of 13.

Ms Ni Mhurchú said: “Children can get around the minimum age limit of 13 because social media companies do not have robust age verification processes in place.

“They value profit over child protection and unless they are willing to take action immediately, legislators have an obligation to protect children from harmful, illegal and violent content online”

She highlighted a report by the US Surgeon General in 2023 which found that children and teenagers who spend more than three hours a day on social media face double the risk of anxiety, depression and the key risk factors associated with suicide.

A UCD longitudinal mental health study of 19,000 Irish teenagers also found that those who spend three hours or more a day online are “significantly more likely to report higher levels of stress”.