Should We Ban Kids from Social Media — Or ID Everyone Else?

A heated Cabinet row, a leaked digital strategy, and one big question: should Ireland limit access ban social media for under-16s? As tech giants face court battles in the United States over alleged harm to children, the Irish Government considering its options. Instead of an outright ban, Ministers want to trial a state-backed “digital wallet” to verify age online — promising protection for children without handing social media platforms any more personal data. But will it work? Critics warn that age verification could push users towards VPNs and expand data-sharing, while supporters argue it’s more realistic than a blanket ban that might fall foul of EU law. Ciara Doherty is joined by Elaine Burke of the For Tech’s Sake podcast to break down what the strategy really means, while Olga Cronin from the Irish Council for Civil Liberties weighs in on whether this digital fix could become a privacy risk. Is this smart child protection — or the start of age-gating the entire internet?