Irish Health Minister Stephen Donnelly highlighted the growing risks that online platforms pose to children, describing their impact as “sinister” and comparing the damage to a public health crisis similar to smoking.
He emphasized that companies managing social media create an environment that harms the mental and physical health of young users, with the main issues being exposure to inappropriate content, violence, and addictive behavior. To address this, Donnelly proposed measures such as banning social media use for children under 16 and increasing funding for national awareness campaigns about the harmful effects of social media on children.
