Tánaiste convenes special meeting of Fine Gael Parliamentary Party on online safety

Tánaiste and leader of Fine Gael Simon Harris TD this morning convened a special breakfast meeting of the Fine Gael parliamentary party dedicated to online safety and the protection of children in the digital world.

The meeting brought together Ministers, TDs, Senators and MEPs to take stock of the work underway across Government and to agree the next steps in what the Tánaiste described as one of the party’s top priorities.

The meeting heard from Minister Patrick O’Donovan, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, Minister Hildegarde Naughton and Chair of the Oireachtas Children’s Committee, Keira Keogh TD. Each outlined the specific actions they are taking to address the safety of children online. The discussion was constructive and forward-looking. There was agreement that Fine Gael must continue to lead on this issue with urgency.

A survey conducted by Fine Gael, led by Deputy Keogh, received responses from over 2,200 parents in a short period and revealed stark findings:

• 90% believe children should be at least 13 before accessing a smartphone
• 95% believe parental permission should be required before children can access social media at 16
• 95% have little confidence in the ability of the national media regulator to enforce safety standards
• 93% do not trust social media companies to have the best interests of children at heart.

Speaking after the meeting, Tánaiste Simon Harris TD said:

“Parents are ahead of us on this. They are not asking whether we should act, they are asking us to act faster. This morning’s meeting showed that Fine Gael is determined to deliver real protections for our children online. This is a public health issue and we will treat it as one. We will legislate for the digital wallet this year and run a pilot for age verification alongside it. If Europe doesn’t move fast enough, we will move at a domestic level.”

Keira Keogh TD, Chair of the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Children, said:

“The results of our survey confirmed what we already knew, that parents are desperate for help and feel under-resourced. They are behind the ban, they want us to move quickly. We are sending a clear message: social media is not appropriate for children under 16. Some tools and resources exist but awareness of them is far too low.”

Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:

“This is now a public health issue. The general scheme for the digital wallet will go to Cabinet in the coming weeks and within that wallet we will legislate for age verification. 

“This year, the Government of Ireland will pass legislation for the digital wallet and run an administrative pilot to test age verification. We proved during Covid that we could use technology to protect people, we can do it again to protect our children.”

Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said:

“The Online Health Taskforce brought together experts from across the health sector and beyond and their recommendations provide a serious, evidence-based framework for protecting children in the digital world. There is a lot of intersection between the Taskforce’s work and the digital wallet and age verification agenda. We are now moving to implementation and there is dedicated funding in my Department to support digital literacy and education campaigns.”

Minister Hildegarde Naughton said:

“There is a huge amount of work happening in our schools. Webwise and Oide Technology in Education are delivering real, practical resources for teachers, parents and the school community. The SPHE curriculum now embeds online safety at all levels. There is funding ring fenced to assist teachers and staff in schools, but we know we need to do much more to tackle this generational issue.”

The meeting also heard from MEP Nina Carberry and MEP Regina Doherty who outlined the work they are doing at a European level and the opportunity Ireland’s EU Council Presidency presents to lead on this issue. MEP Regina Doherty highlighted new DSA guidelines on algorithms and dark patterns coming into effect in August 2026, coinciding with the start of the Presidency.

The Tánaiste concluded the meeting by setting out a clear programme of work: a formal submission to the parliamentary party after the St Patrick’s Day recess setting out the actions Fine Gael will deliver this year, the development of a dedicated schools resource pack and intensified cross-departmental work on the digital wallet, age verification legislation and strengthening existing laws to better protect children online.

Fine Gael will continue to make online safety one of its top priorities and will work to deliver meaningful protections for children and families across Ireland.