Minister for Communications Patrick O'Donovan proposes using a new Government digital wallet to strengthen child protections on social media through the use of ID verification. A new Government digital wallet is on the way and the Minister for Communications wants to use it to push through ID verification for social media accounts. Most pertinently, protecting children from accessing services where they may access inappropriate online content. While no right-thinking person will argue against the importance of protecting children, it does not mean the Government should trample on the privacy of the rest of the population. What penalties will be imposed on the social media companies that fail to implement these new rules, should they come to pass?

Source: The Irish Times January 06, 2026 22:33 UTC