Ireland: Media, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, establishing one of the most prescriptive child-safety frameworks yet at EU level. This comprehensive regulation would introduce graduated age-based access controls for social media, mandate safety-by-design requirements, and create a harmonized age-verification system across Member States. The proposal carries far-reaching implications for digital services accessible to minors, requiring providers to fundamentally redesign products, implement strict def

The European Commission is poised to introduce sweeping restrictions on children's access to digital platforms, including social media, video sharing services, AI chatbots, and online games. The proposed EU Kids Act would establish age-based limitations and verification requirements across all EU member states, potentially superseding individual national measures currently under consideration in countries like Ireland.

The EU Cyber Resilience Act introduces mandatory vulnerability and incident reporting obligations for products with digital elements starting September 2026. Economic operators developing, importing, or distributing such products in the EU face strict compliance deadlines, substantial penalties for non-compliance, and must implement security-by-design principles throughout product lifecycles.