Ireland Opens First Online Safety Code Probe Into X

Ireland opens first Online Safety Code probe into X

Ireland's Coimisiún na Meán has opened its first-ever investigation under the Online Safety Code, targeting X's age-assurance and parental-control systems — and signalling that self-declaration age gates are not enough.

Why It Matters

This is the first enforcement action under a Code that has been binding since 21 July 2025, and it lands on the design choice most video-sharing platforms still rely on: letting users self-declare their age. The regulator's stated position is blunt — age assurance based solely on self-declaration is not sufficient.

For compliance, product, and legal teams, that turns a “nice to have” into live exposure. Where a breach is found, the Code allows an administrative financial sanction of up to 10% of relevant annual turnover, or €20 million, whichever is greater. Coimisiún na Meán has also flagged parental controls it says are hard to locate and not surfaced to new users at sign-up — a usability standard, not just a policy one.

It also fits a wider pattern: children's-privacy and age-assurance rules are hardening across the EU, Australia, and US states over the next 12 months.

Action Items

Map your age-assurance method — for any EU-facing video-sharing or adult-content service, document how age is verified and treat self-declaration alone as presumptively non-compliant.
Audit parental controls — confirm they carry minimum requirements, are easy to locate, and are surfaced to new users at sign-up.
Brief legal on exposure — model the 10%-of-turnover / €20M ceiling against your EU entity and assign an owner to track the investigation.

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