Do we need a ban on social media for U-16s?
- Paul Gogarty TD
- May 9
- 1 min read
Updated: May 13
Australia has passed legislation and is now working on the finer details of a ban on social media to protect its children (see https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/feb/22/social-media-bans-for-teens-australia-has-passed-one-should-other-countries-follow-suit) .
Do we need to do likewise in Ireland? This is what I highlighted this week in the Dáil (May 8th), calling for a ban in the hope that we at least get tighter regulation. It's an issue that needs careful thought. Children can often feel pressured, parents can find monitoring social media usage a challenge and meanwhile the social media companies make profit on the back of this lack of regulation.
Interestingly, the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland’s Faculty of Paediatrics launched a position paper the following day calling for improved measures to safeguard young people online. The paper – Engaging in Online Activity: Prioritising and Protecting the physical and mental health of children and young people – calls for regulation and accountability for online platforms, improved awareness and information, and comprehensive research. PDF of paper here:
ENDS
hey Paul, well said. We need regulation over social media. This experiment has run for long enough and we already have self harm statistics that are directly correlated to social media usage.