Ireland Opens First Online Safety Code Investigation Into X

Ireland’s media regulator has opened its first formal investigation under the country’s Online Safety Code, examining whether X has effective age-assurance measures and compliant parental controls for video content.

Coimisiún na Meán began the inquiry after its platform-supervision team raised concerns about X’s implementation of age checks. The code requires the platform to prevent children from normally seeing videos containing pornography, extreme violence or acts of cruelty.

The investigation will assess whether X relies on an effective method to distinguish children from adults. Section 12 of the code states that self-declaration alone is not an effective form of age assurance for access to adult-only video content.

Regulators will also examine the platform’s parental controls. The inquiry covers whether those tools give parents control over harmful video content, include the code’s minimum functions, are brought to users’ attention and are offered as an option when a new account is created.

X permits users under 16 while also allowing adult-only content, making both safeguards applicable. The opening of an investigation is not a finding that the company has violated the code; it begins a formal process for gathering evidence and determining compliance.

The inquiry is being conducted under Part 8B of Ireland’s Broadcasting Act 2009, as amended. Following a confirmed infringement and the required statutory process, Coimisiún na Meán can impose a fine of up to €20 million or 10 percent of relevant annual turnover, whichever is greater.

The case is the regulator’s first investigation under the Online Safety Code. During the previous year, Coimisiún na Meán also opened five investigations into Ireland-based platforms under the EU Digital Services Act and joined four investigations led with the European Commission.

Ireland has also explored public-sector credentials for online age checks. Government proposals have linked social-media age verification to public service numbers, while a national wallet pilot has included the ability to prove an age attribute without sharing a full identity record.

X is already facing regulatory scrutiny in several jurisdictions over platform safety and AI-generated images. The Irish investigation is narrower, focusing on age assurance and parental-control obligations for video-sharing services under the national code.

Sources: Coimisiún na Meán, Reuters

–

By the ID Tech Editorial Team