Ireland probes X over child access to adult content and ineffective parental controls

Formal inquiry under the Online Safety Code

On 8 September 2026, Ireland's media watchdog Coimisiun na Mean opened a formal investigation into social media platform X. The inquiry examines whether the company complies with statutory requirements on age assurance and parental controls under Ireland's Online Safety Code, which came into force in July 2025. The action represents the first formal investigation initiated under the regulatory code. The platform, owned by Elon Musk, allows adult video content including pornography and extreme violence while permitting registration for users under the age of 16.

Flaws in age assurance and parental controls

Regulators initiated the proceeding following reviews conducted by their platform supervision team. Coimisiun na Mean found that age verification relying solely on self-declaration does not satisfy safety obligations. The regulator stated that parental controls provided on X may lack minimum requirements, remain difficult for users to locate, and are not presented during account creation.

John Evans, digital services commissioner at Coimisiun na Mean, detailed the regulatory standards required for platforms hosting adult media.

Platforms which are accessible to children and allow adult-only video content, such as pornography or extreme and gratuitous violence or acts of cruelty, must ensure that this content cannot normally be accessed by children by implementing effective age assurance measures.

If the regulator finds X in breach of the code, it has the statutory power to impose a fine of up to 20 million euros or 10% of the platform's relevant annual turnover, whichever is greater.

Child account usage and survey findings

The enforcement action follows findings published by child safety organization CyberSafeKids. The research surveyed over 7,000 children in Ireland between the ages of 8 and 15 regarding their online habits. The report found that 18% of young teenage boys had an account on X, compared to 7% of young teenage girls. While usage of TikTok and Meta platforms remained roughly equal between boys and girls, X showed more than twice the participation rate among male youths.

Legal challenges and regulatory jurisdiction

The investigation unfolds while X continues to challenge the validity of the Online Safety Code in the Irish court system. On 29 July 2025, High Court judge Conleth Bradley dismissed a judicial review filed by X, ruling that Part B of the code fell within the 2009 Broadcasting Act and European audiovisual directives without conflicting with the Digital Services Act. In January 2026, the court granted X permission to appeal that dismissal on legal questions of public interest.

Because X maintains its European headquarters in Dublin, regulatory findings by Coimisiun na Mean have legal effect across the European Union under country-of-origin rules. The company is also subject to a separate Irish regulatory probe opened in late 2025 regarding appeals processes for content moderation decisions under the Digital Services Act. In December 2025, the European Commission imposed a 120 million euro fine on X over its paid verification checkmarks, advertising repository, and researcher data access.