An Irish Mail on Sunday investigation has revealed that Coimisiún na Meán (CnM), Ireland's online safety regulator, has failed to implement a government-mandated "safety net" designed to protect children from online predators, despite the measure being written into law since 2022. The disclosure follows a critical CyberSafeKids report showing no reduction in children's access to social media, prompting AI Minister Niamh Smyth to seek an urgent meeting with the regulator amid mounting political concern that its roughly 300 staff are not adequately enforcing child protection rules.

The CyberSafeKids report found that 70% of eight to 12 year-olds still hold accounts on platforms meant for over-13s, 14 months after CnM's Online Safety Code took effect, and documented children as young as five being "chased, stalked, imprisoned, threatened, propositioned and encouraged to strip" in online role-play games. An individual complaints mechanism, recommended by a 2022 Online Safety Expert Group and enshrined in the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act, has never been implemented, meaning there is currently no route for users to force removal of harmful content if a platform refuses to act. CyberSafeKids CEO Alex Cooney called the delay "so frustrating" and urged government and EU authorities to strengthen enforcement powers over tech companies.