Plans for a social media ban for everyone under the age of 16 are 'pretty extreme’ and ‘very unlikely’ to happen, a tech expert has said.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly wants to ban social media for young teenagers, comparing the damage caused to children to that of smoking.
Irish Independent Technology Editor Adrian Weckler told Newstalk Breakfast Minister Donnelly's plan would be difficult to enforce.
The Minister has compared social media to something equivalent to cigarettes [noting] that it's a national health issue and that we need to start looking at it in that way," he said.
"It's an interesting analogy and in some ways it's a sympathetic one [but] in other ways it's a difficult one.
"When a child or teenager buys cigarettes, you tend to fine the shop as opposed to the cigarette company.
"In Ireland as well as everywhere else the parents are the shop - there's no way for a kid to get to social media unless it's through their parents."
A teenage girl relaxing looking at a smartphone, 19-9-15. Image: Hympi / AlamyMr Weckler said any such ban would need to see age verification documents handed over to the social media companies.
"I think what he probably means is to bring in some sort of age verification controls, offending against which would bring down a big fine on the social media companies," he said.
You're into all sort of difficult territory there because really, what you're getting into there is not just kids but all of us uploading our passports to prove we're over-16 or over-18.
"There isn't really any other way of doing it effectively".
'Equating browsing with criminal fraud'
Mr Weckler said measures could also include asking for credit card information - similar to gambling companies - fingerprints or even facial recognition.
"You're into a slightly more dystopian and slightly more Government-controlled social media [route] there so it's very difficult," he said.
Mr Weckler said using passports as verification is now common on banking apps such as Revolut.
"That is anti-fraud, anti-criminal fraud so there is a precedent for that," he said.
"To equate browsing on YouTube with criminal fraud you're definitely stepping it up there."
'Pretty extreme'
Mr Weckler said he believes the measures are extreme.
"To bring in those Revolut [style] verification controls to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X you're really extending the remit of it," he said.
"You're also asking people to trust those services essentially with that kind of sensitive information.
"You sort of trust a bank; you probably do trust a service like Apple [where] we have face ID - so another route might be to bring in legislation to force Apple, Google and the makers of phones to extend their verification to social media platforms.
"These are all pretty extreme measures and it's very unlikely that this Government is about to table legislation for it".
Mr Weckler said 55% of 12-years-old access social media and "that can only come through parents - so that's actually on the parents, it's not the kids and it's not really on the social media companies."
Clampdowns are also planned in classrooms with Education Minister Norma Foley working on plans to ban mobile phones in secondary schools.
