TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS has said that the government will “have a look” at banning social media use for under-16s, pointing to moves in the UK and France, despite the government currently pursuing an age-verification model rather than an outright ban.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio One’s Today with David McCullagh, Harris said he was deeply concerned about the impact of social media on children and teenagers and argued that Ireland may need to go further than its existing approach.

“We have a digital age of consent. It is 16,” Harris said.

“There’s lots of conversations with the platforms about how we can all work together… but I think we’re going to need to go further than that.”

Harris said he believed Ireland should examine measures being introduced elsewhere, including in the UK and France, where governments are considering or implementing restrictions on under-16s accessing social media platforms.

“I think we’re going to need to look at what they’re doing in the UK, look at what they’re doing in France, and simply say, in this country, there should be a ban on using social media under the age of 16,” he said.

His comments come as the government is preparing to pilot an age-verification system, often described as a “digital wallet”, aimed at enforcing the existing digital age of consent.

The pilot, led by Communications Minister Patrick O’Donovan, is due to begin in March, with some major platforms already signed up.

Harris said he was willing to try that approach but made clear he did not believe it would be sufficient on its own.

“I’m happy to try the approach that’s been suggested,” he said.

“That’s good, but I have a very clear-cut view on this. I think there’s huge damage being caused to the mental health and wellbeing of our young people, and I think we have to act.”

He linked his concerns to broader issues around online harms, citing reports on serious violence involving minors and saying society was only now beginning to grasp the scale of the problem.

“These are fast-moving issues,” he said. “We weren’t having these sorts of conversations two or three years ago, and I’m deeply, deeply concerned.”

Harris’s remarks mark a notable shift in tone from the government’s stated position as recently as last week, when sources indicated Ireland had no plans to introduce an outright ban on social media for under-16s.

At the time, a source in the Department of Arts and Media said the UK’s decision to consult on a ban would have “no bearing” on Ireland’s approach, with the focus instead on age verification and coordination with other EU member states.

That stance has also been echoed by the Minister O’Donovan, who has previously stressed the need to move in step with the European Commission, which is currently examining options to protect children online but has not yet ruled out a ban.

Views within the Oireachtas remain mixed.

While there is broad agreement that stronger action is needed, some TDs have questioned whether a blanket ban would be effective.

People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has argued that children would simply find ways around a prohibition and has instead proposed legislation to force platforms to disable recommender algorithms for under-18s.

“The problem isn’t social media per se,” Murphy said last week.

“The problem is what people are fed on social media, and how it is designed by big tech corporations.”

Despite that, Harris said the era of relying on voluntary action by platforms was over.

“This can’t be the wild west anymore,” Harris told Virgin Media’s Ireland AM yesterday.

“There are laws, there are fines, and social media companies can’t be above the law.”

The Government’s age-verification pilot is expected to begin in the coming weeks, while discussions at EU level on a possible “digital age of majority” are ongoing.