Its job is to protect children online, and its 300 employees have the powers to do just that. Yet as a report shows kids as young as FIVE are still exposed to sexual predators every day – the regulator hasn’t implemented this BASIC safeguard…
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.
In short
- Irish regulator CnM hasn't set up a promised child-safety complaints mechanism
- Report finds 70% of under-13s still on age-restricted social media apps
- Children as young as five reportedly targeted by predators online
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A statutory complaints mechanism could give children and families a practical route to seek action when platforms fail to remove harmful material, and make the regulator’s rules more accountable. With evidence that many children use age-restricted services and some encounter serious abuse, supporters can reasonably argue that a safeguard written into law should be implemented without further delay.
The case against
A regulator may need to design a complaints process carefully so it is accessible to children, protects privacy, handles urgent risks and does not duplicate existing reporting or appeal routes. Supporters of a measured approach could argue that implementation requires clear procedures, resources and coordination with platforms and EU rules, while the report alone does not establish that this mechanism would prevent children accessing age-restricted services or stop predators.
Explained simply
Coimisiún na Meán is Ireland’s regulator for online services and media. It is responsible for enforcing rules intended to make online platforms safer, including protections for children.
Under-13s are generally not meant to have accounts on many social media platforms, but children can still encounter risks on social networks and in online games. CyberSafeKids, an Irish child-safety organisation, has reported that some young children face unwanted contact and pressure from other users.
Irish law provides for an individual complaints route for people seeking action on harmful online content when a platform does not respond. Such a route would give users another way to raise concerns, while the regulator’s enforcement role shapes how platforms are held to account.
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