+34
The tenth annual CyberSafeKids study reveals that seventy per cent of Irish children aged eight to twelve have accounts on social media platforms meant for older users, with age verification measures largely ineffective and exposure to sexual content on the rise.
Young children in Ireland continue to have widespread access to social media platforms that are officially restricted to users aged thirteen and over, according to the tenth annual study from CyberSafeKids.
The report, titled The Year Little Changed, found that seventy per cent of children aged eight to twelve currently hold accounts on platforms designated for older users, a figure that has barely shifted compared to data collected in July of the previous year. YouTube remained the most popular service in this younger group, used by sixty-three per cent of children, while Snapchat and TikTok were used by twenty-one and twenty per cent respectively.
CyberSafeKids stated that despite new legal requirements introduced across the European Union and in Ireland during the previous year, age assurance measures appear to be failing on the very platforms that children frequent most. Account creation on YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram still depends entirely on self-declared information, and while these services employ behavioural analysis, content review and user reporting to detect underage users, the report concluded that these safeguards are not functioning as intended.
Among children aged eight to twelve, ninety-four per cent own their own smart device, with tablets being the most common choice for this age group. More than half reported spending most of their online time gaming. Twenty-six per cent of children in this category said they had been bothered by something they encountered online, and more than half of those incidents took place on Roblox.
By the time children reach the twelve-to-fifteen age bracket, smartphones overtake tablets as the most common device, and the messaging application WhatsApp becomes dominant, used by eighty-five per cent of respondents. Sixty-seven per cent in this older group reported playing Roblox. A quarter of children in the older age range said they had encountered upsetting material online, with forty-eight per cent stating that the incident occurred on Snapchat.
The most frequently reported problematic content was scams and misleading information, followed by hate content. Older children were more inclined to keep such experiences to themselves, although twenty-nine per cent said they reported the issue online. Fifteen per cent of all children who reported being bothered by online content said they had encountered or been asked for nudity or sexual material, rising to twenty per cent in the older age category.
Twenty-four per cent of older children said they had accessed sexual content during the year, more than double the figure of ten per cent recorded the year before. The use of artificial intelligence among children has also increased significantly. More than half of children under twelve said they use AI tools regularly, with fifty-nine per cent using them to search for information and forty-seven per cent posing fun or playful questions.
Among the older group, seventy-six per cent reported using AI, with three-quarters employing it for information searches. Despite this growth, children reported that adults rarely discuss AI use with them, with only fifty per cent of eight-to-twelve-year-olds and fifty-five per cent of twelve-to-fifteen-year-olds saying they had such conversations at a senior or parental level.
CyberSafeKids chief executive Alex Cooney stated that after a wave of new legislation in Ireland and at EU level in the previous year, the organisation had held genuine hopes for change, but the data demonstrated that those expectations have not been fulfilled. Cooney expressed concern that children now access AI chatbots with minimal oversight and that regulation in this area has remained static while adoption has grown rapidly.
The organisation called for the implementation of the State online health taskforce recommendations, the establishment of sixteen as the default minimum age for digital products aimed at children, the blocking of minors access to pornography in the Republic, agreement between the European Parliament and the Council on an EU-wide prohibition against using AI to create non-consensual intimate images, and dedicated funding for initiatives that support parents and caregivers in navigating their children online experiences
Cybersafekids Children Online Safety Age Verification Social Media Ireland
Ireland Latest News, Ireland Headlines
Similar News: You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Anonymous Letter Highlights Generations Of Irish Disgust With The BodyA handwritten anonymous letter from an older person disillusioned with faith criticizes the idea of a loving God given human bodily functions. The article reflects on Irish religious history, noting the 20th century Christian theology that viewed the body and its functions as sinful and a threat to the soul, contrasting this with WB Yeats more nuanced perspective in Crazy Jane Talks with the Bishop.
Read more »
Irish honey, Chinese bees: Labelling law change makes clear true origins of Irish brandsBoyne Valley’s ‘Pure & Natural’ blend is packed in Co Louth but entirely made up of honey from China, Spain and Argentina
Read more »
Irish honey brands revealed to contain mostly non-Irish honey under new EU labeling lawsNew EU regulations requiring detailed origin disclosure for blended honey have revealed that many popular Irish-branded honeys contain only a tiny fraction of actual Irish honey, with most ingredients sourced from countries like China, Spain, and Argentina.
Read more »
President of Conradh na Gaeilge criticizes the State for failing its own Irish language legislation at the Electric PicnicAt a panel discussion in the Irish-language tent at the Electric Picnic, Ciarán Mac Giolla Bhéin, President of Conradh na Gaeilge, said the State is failing in its own legislation and that much of the formal education system is broken. He said there is a special duty on the State to show support for the Irish-speaking community and that infrastructure, investment and support are needed. He criticized the lip service paid by politicians to the Irish language and described as alarming a 3.5% drop last year in the percentage of children attending Gaelscoileanna. The discussion addressed the question of whether the State is serious about the Irish language or making empty promises. Over 80,000 people attended the Electric Picnic over the weekend.
Read more »