Ireland is advancing a national digital wallet plan with age-verification tools to monitor information sharing with social media, including a large pilot next year involving about 2,000 participants aged both under and over 18.

Officials stress this rights-respecting approach, with education, parental supports, and age verification as part of tackling algorithmic harms while EU investigations into platforms continue.

The wallet, led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer, will include an app and messaging alerts, and legislation could limit how much data is transferred to platforms.

The discussion underscores broader concerns about algorithmic content, citing studies on youths' exposure to harmful, self-harm, and misogynistic material, with ongoing EU scrutiny of platform practices.

A court case involving a teenager abusing his sister online amplifies calls for stronger protections and safer online environments for children.

Opponents question the effectiveness of age restrictions and recommender algorithms, pressing for a stronger, rights-respecting coordinated online-harm response.

There is comparison to Australia’s approach, with caution against an outright internet ban and a preference for targeted protections and regulatory measures.

Public health framing argues for protecting children’s online innocence, likening relaxed access to other public-health risks and emphasizing a responsible, not bans-based, approach.

Officials reiterate that the goal is not to ban technology but to safeguard children’s innocence while enabling safe access to digital tools.

The analogy to allowing children into a bar to drink is used to stress addressing uncontrolled access to harmful material online.

Social Democrats call for comprehensive regulation of recommender systems, arguing that delaying access doesn’t solve the problem of harmful content reaching youths.

While bans on social media for younger users are debated, there is no immediate plan to shut down the internet.