Regulators are trying to establish solid protections as children gain increasing access to harmful content
WhatsApp, YouTube, Snapchat, TikTok and Instagram are the most common social media and messaging services used by under-13s in Ireland. Photo: Getty
While much of the talk in recent weeks of banning smartphones and social media for under-16s seems aspirational and without any real legislative proposal in Ireland or Europe, there is one part of the online safety puzzle where regulators and law-makers appear to be getting serious: age verification systems.
The results of this week’s CyberSafeKids survey of 7,100 children between the ages of 8 and 14 proved that most parents don’t regard withholding phones from 11 or 12-year-olds as an option (59pc of 11-year-olds have a smartphone, while 74pc of 12-year-olds have one).