Minister O’Donovan Updates Government on Online Safety Progress: Keeping Young People Safe Online a Priority
- Published on: 10 December 2025
- Last updated on: 10 December 2025
Patrick O’ Donovan T.D., Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport updated this week’s Government meeting on progress on online safety, in particular, with regard to keeping young people safe online.
Minister O’Donovan highlighted recent progress in relation to the development of a robust age verification mechanism using Ireland’s Digital Wallet. The development of the Digital Wallet is led by the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), but the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport is working with the office on providing for an age verification tool in the digital wallet.
Minister O’Donovan said:
“Great progress has been made with regard to the implementation of Ireland’s online safety framework, and I commend Coimisiún na Meán for this work. Now, we must ensure that the measures that have been put in place are as effective as possible, and the key to this will be the introduction of a robust and secure age verification tool. It is a vital part of the picture in terms of providing real assurance that children are the age they claim to be and to ensure they are not exposed to harmful or illegal content.”
The development of an age verification tool is distinct from the topic of a potential ‘digital age of majority’. Minister O’Donovan added:
“I believe that any decisions around potential age-based restrictions on social media usage should be taken at EU-level to ensure a harmonised approach and a robust legal basis. Ireland will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of next year, and I intend to make the online safety of young people a priority.”