It’s been 23 years since the first Safer Internet Day and the sad fact is that if we ask ourselves are we any closer to having made the online world safe for children, then the answer is no. So much is still left to the discretion of the immensely powerful companies behind the online spaces we — and our children — inhabit daily. Recommender systemsThe truth is that the problem is the model itself: a model based on engagement. RegulationWhich brings me to the critical question: what can actually be done while children continue to be harmed? It's time to treat tech platforms like any other product marketed to children.

Source: Irish Examiner February 10, 2026 01:03 UTC