Ireland - Policy monitor country profile

Here, we take an in-depth look at the latest monitoring information for Ireland.

BIK policies

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

Policy frameworks

Policy frameworks describe the overarching approach for a better internet, and establish the underlying goals, principles and guidelines that shape individual policies within this area.

In Ireland:

• This topic is comprehensively addressed.
• There are separate, dedicated policies that address children and the digital environment (protection, empowerment, and participation).
• Although the BIK / BIK+ strategy is not explicitly mentioned in national policies, it has informed policy development on children and the digital environment.
• Children's rights in the digital environment are explicitly recognised in national policy documents.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key national policy frameworks in Ireland.

Policy design

Policy design asks whether evidence and research support BIK-related policies and whether systems are in place for monitoring and evaluating those policies.

• Surveys of children’s digital activities are undertaken but only irregularly.
• Systems are in place at the government level to gather information on children and the digital environment (e.g., dedicated research units, think tanks or commissions).
• Existing national research funding is available for research on children and the digital environment, but this is not explicitly specified.
• Policies are monitored and evaluated but not systematically. It depends on the needs at a particular time or when policies are being considered.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on recent national research studies in Ireland.

Policy governance

Policy governance examines how policies are coordinated at the governmental level, whether other implementation bodies are involved in their delivery, and whether structured mechanisms are available to guide their implementation.

• There is one central body (e.g., a central ministry office, public agency, or regulatory authority) formally mandated to lead and develop policies, guidelines, and programmes related to children and the digital environment.
• A clearly defined coordination function is in place, involving all relevant stakeholders and encompasses the cross-cutting policy issues relating to children and the digital environment.
• There is a defined national action plan on children and the digital environment with accountabilities such as defined timelines, assigned responsibilities or key performance indicators (KPIs).

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on key policy governance mechanisms in Ireland.

Stakeholder involvement

Stakeholder involvement enquires how different stakeholders can participate in policy development. Children’s involvement in policy-making is one such key issue. Additionally, international knowledge exchange about children's digital participation is also relevant to this topic.

• While there is currently no single, overarching formal forum dedicated solely to this purpose, Ireland has had several mechanisms to foster stakeholder collaboration on policy concerning children and the digital environment.
• Members of the public are regularly and routinely consulted as part of the policy development process. 
• Children are actively involved in the design of policies related to their participation in the digital environment. There are specially designed structures in place for this purpose.
• Policymakers actively participate in various EU-level and other international inter-governmental groups related to digital policies for children.

Read the full Policy monitor country profile for detailed information on crucial stakeholder involvement mechanisms in Ireland.

BIK+ actions

Pillar 1 – safe digital experiences

Safe digital experiences refer to actions taken to protect children from harmful and illegal online content, conduct, contact, and risks as young consumers and to improve their well-being online through a safe, age-appropriate digital environment created in a way that respects children’s best interests. 

Responses to EU laws

• Ireland has passed the Digital Services Act 2024 to provide for the implementation of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
• Ireland has also published a draft Online Safety Code to implement Article 28b of the EU Audiovisual Media Services Directive 2018.
• Codes and regulations regarding commercial content labelling in Ireland fall into a mix of both statutory and non-statutory instruments with policies relating to online commercial content in the online worlds tend to be incorporated within broader policies that address commercial content in general. 

Addressing harmful online content

• Ireland’s Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 (OSMR), in addition to existing online offenses, classifies the following types of harmful online content: 
  • content involving the promotion of self-harm and suicide; 
  • cyberbullying or cyber-humiliation of another person; or
  • content involving the promotion of eating disorders. 
• Under the OSMR, the media regulator, Coimisiún na Meán, is empowered to investigate and issue notices requiring online platforms to take down specifically defined harmful content.
• Processes by which a child may complain to an administrative body about harmful online content are currently in development.

Addressing harmful online conduct

• Ireland was one of the first countries in the EU to outlaw intimate image abuse. The Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco’s Law) provides for offences related to the non-consensual distribution of intimate images.
• Ireland also has several laws and policies in place to protect children and young people against cyberbullying. The Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying provides a roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying in schools. 

Age verification and digital identity systems

• There is no single policy on the use of age verification mechanisms for children’s online safety.
  • Ireland's data protection authority, the Data Protection Commission (DPC), has published Fundamentals for a Child-Oriented Approach to Data Processing which includes broad principles regarding age verification.
  • Coimisiún na Meán’s draft Online Safety Code requires video-sharing service providers to establish and operate age verification systems with respect to content which may impair the physical, mental or moral development of minors. The code states that an age assurance measure based solely on self-declaration of age by users of the service is not an effective measure.
• There are currently no government-backed digital identity systems specifically designed for minors. 

Pillar 2 – digital empowerment

Digital empowerment incorporates actions so that all children, including those in vulnerable situations, acquire the necessary skills and competences to make sound choices and express themselves in the online environment safely and responsibly.

Supports in formal education

• Online safety is fully incorporated into the national school curriculum in Ireland at multiple levels, most specifically through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum. 
• There are several national-level frameworks that support online safety in Irish schools, including Oide.ie, the support service for teachers and school leaders.
• This also includes Webwise.ie, the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre funded by the Department of Education and co-funded by the European Commission.

Informal education

• A public awareness campaign took place under the Action Plan For Online Safety 2018-2019, centring on the Be Safe Online portal for online safety resources.
• Coimisiún na Meán also has a statutory role under the OSMR Act in carrying out, supporting and endorsing educational initiatives regarding online safety.
• Media Literacy Ireland, a multistakeholder initiative operating under Coimisiún na Meán, has an ongoing, wide-ranging public awareness campaign called Be Media Smart, which calls attention particularly to the risks of online disinformation.
• Webwise.ie, the national online safety awareness node, makes available materials on online safety for parents and the general population. The National Parents Council (Primary) is also a member of Ireland’s Safer Internet Centre and contributes a range of awareness activities on online safety for parents.
• Voluntary youth organisations like Foróige also contribute to online safety education and awareness raising through programmes such as the Connect Safely Programme, funded by the Department of Children, Disability, Integration and Youth.

Empowering through digital skills

• Digital literacy skills training in the curriculum is in development and and evolving rather than well-embedded. The Eurydice Report Digital Education at School in Europe (2019) found shortcomings in technical support and specific approaches to digital competence development.
• A 2022 Educational Research Centre (ERC) report, Digital Technologies in Education: Ireland in International Context found that Ireland was “substantially” below the EU and OECD averages on measures of student digital technology use for learning – both inside and outside the school, in part attributed to the lack of technical and training supports for teachers and for schools.
• At a policy level, the Digital Strategy for Schools 2021-2027 champions embedding digital competencies across all levels - not just specific technology or computer-based classes. The strategy aims for every school to have a Digital Learning Plan focusing on skills and infrastructure.
• The 2023 edition of the Media Pluralism Monitor found high levels of media literacy availability, classifying Ireland as “low risk” under this heading.
• Ireland has several established peer-to-peer initiatives focused on developing online safety education, training, and support.

Pillar 3 – active participation, respecting children’s rights

Active participation, respecting children’s rights, refers to actions which give children and young people a say in the digital environment, with more child-led activities to foster innovative and creative safe digital experiences.

Active participation

• Comhairle na nÓg, the national government initiative promoting child and youth councils in the 31 local authorities of the country, gives children and young people the opportunity to be involved in the development of local services and policies and bring issues forward of importance to them. 
• The Webwise Youth Advisory Panel involves young people contributing ideas and insights on online safety issues. Through its Ambassador Programme, Webwise trains secondary school students in Safer Internet Day-related topics, building their capacity to lead workshops and awareness activities for younger students and even their own schools, fostering leadership and promotes a proactive approach to online safety.
• ISSU, the union of students in secondary schools in Ireland, has initiatives to encourage the formation of student groups specifically focused on online safety and wellbeing, anti-cyberbullying campaigns, and positive uses of technology as "Digital Leaders”.
• The National Youth Council of Ireland (NYCI) make extensive use of digital technologies for youth work and encouraging positive uses of online media. NYCI has been a leading member of Screenagers, a collaborative international research project focussing on the use of ICT, digital and social media in youth work. Training and support for youth leaders are important areas of focus in each of these initiatives.

Inclusivity

• The National Framework for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-Making (2021) was developed to supports departments, agencies and organisations to improve their practice in listening to children and young people and giving them a voice in decision-making. It is based on the Lundy child rights model of participation which provides guidance for decision-makers on the steps to take in giving children and young people a meaningful voice in decision-making.
• Young Ireland: the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People 2023-2028 aims to create an enabling environment to ensure that children and young people (and issues identified by them) are a central part of everyone’s agenda.
• The framework also includes as an action to “Publish child-friendly versions of policies and strategies which are relevant to children and young people, for various age groups” (DCEIDY 14.4).

Digital creativity

• There is no specific national strategy on stimulating the production and visibility of positive digital content for children.
• However, there are several awards schemes and competitions supporting media and digital content for and created by young people. These include the FÍS Film Project and the Fresh Film Festival.
• School-based resources such as HTML Heroes foster safe, creative uses of digital technologies for younger children.
• CoderDojo, the computer science workshop for kids, has been a notable feature of the national scene. It comprises a widespread network of volunteer-led clubs where children learn coding basics, but guided to make their own games, websites, etc.

BIK+ index 2024: Ireland

The BIK+ index has been developed to provide an aggregated at-a-glance overview of the levels of implementation across the two dimensions, BIK policies and BIK+ actions, in Ireland compared to the EU27+2 average. Values are shown in per cent.

Please note, the data used in this page and the corresponding country profile was collected in February 2024.