Galway TD calls to raise minimum social media age to sixteen
Social media companies are asked to raise age limits for access / Photo: Yue Qiu
All social media companies must raise their account age limits to 16 to match the digital consent age in the country. That’s the latest call from Ciarán Cannon, TD representing Galway East.
He says that social media companies “must be” accountable for limiting “the risk of harmful content, cyberbullying and other dangerous activity” when children are online.
“They are very impressionable,” said Denise Marovatsanga, a student from ATU. Ms Marovatsanga shared that she’s heard “sad stories” related to social media. Especially it’s direct influence on youth dying by suicide.
Carpenter Jonny O’Donnell, however, does not agree with such a restriction. He feels that using social media is “how people communicate today.” “What you’re doing is you’re denying your 13-year-olds access to information,” he said.
He also said that social media companies should be made responsible for tackling online bullying on social media platforms.
“16 years of age is part of a wider developmental period that is fundamental for one’s self-concept, sense of identity, and self-esteem,” said Dr Vlad Glăveanu, psychology professor from Dublin City University.
“But individuals vary considerably when it comes to these and other psychological dimensions,” he said. For this reason, according to Dr Glăveanu, identifying a single age for the cutoff can be complicated.
Dr Glăveanu said there should be regulation asking social media companies to moderate their content and “an increased emphasis on digital literacy in education from early on.”
