Social media sites have no age verification process as new crackdown launches

Irish Daily Mirror

4 days ago

Four major social media sites did not have age-verification controls in place on the first day of a new crackdown in Ireland.
From Monday, July 21, new online safety rules came into effect requiring video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland to have effective age verification systems in place where adult content can be accessed.
However, the Irish Mirror was able to open new accounts as an adult on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X without any verification. Each site simply asked to input a date of birth that a child could easily lie about.
This is despite Coimisiún na Meán stressing that self-declaration is not permitted as a method of age verification.
The account was able to access pornographic content on X as soon as it was created. However, it did have a sensitivity content warning. Adult content was also accessible on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
Pornhub also had no age verification in place on Monday. An account is not even needed to watch x-rated content on the site. When a user visits the site, they are simply asked to click a button confirming that they are over the age of 18.
OnlyFans, which hosts pornographic content, also only required an account to be made with self-declaration of age. Under the Online Safety Code, video-sharing platforms that have their EU headquarters in Ireland are legally obliged to protect users from harmful content.
Pornhub and OnlyFans were not on the list of ten platforms that Coimisiún na Meán designated these rules to in December 2024. However, they must liaise with European authorities in the countries where those services are based.
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X were all included in the list. Harmful content could include pornography, violence, cyberbullying, the promotion of self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.
Platforms found in breach of this code could be fined up to €20 million or 10 per cent of turnover, whichever is greater. The law came into effect last year, but companies were given nine months to set up effective practices.
Coimisiún na Meán, which is responsible for enforcing age verification on social media sites, said there isn't one approach to how companies choose to do this. Examples include uploading IDs, facial recognition technology or a cognitive skills test.
However, there have been concerns over how sensitive information used for age verification would be used.
In a statement to the Irish Mirror, Coimisiún na Meán said: "Under Part B of the Online Safety Code, which became effective on July 21, a video-sharing platform service established in Ireland whose terms and conditions permit the uploading or sharing of adult-only video content such as pornography or scenes of gratuitous violence must: have a way for people to rate video content as adult-only content,
provide effective age assurance measures to ensure that children do not normally see such content, and
allow people to report and flag pornography present on the service that hasn't been marked as adult-only video content or otherwise contravenes the service's terms and conditions.
"Video-sharing platforms have had at least nine months to prepare for the introduction of these new rules. We are actively monitoring the steps taken by these platforms to comply with the Online Safety Code and will use all powers and functions at our disposal, including enforcement action, to ensure compliance."
Meta and TikTok have also been contacted for comment.
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