This afternoon, People Before Profit and other organisations protested at the offices of X about the damage done by its toxic recommender algorithms.
The event also highlighted People Before Profit’s Online Safety (Recommender Algorithms) Bill 2026. The Bill will be debated at Second Stage in the Dáil next Wednesday, 4th March. A vote in the Dáil on the Bill is expected that evening.
The Bill requires social media platforms to turn off recommender algorithms for under 18s. It would also require that recommender algorithms based on profiling or sensitive personal data have to be actively turned on by adult users.
Paul Murphy TD said, “Toxic social media algorithms are driving an epidemic of mental health problems among young people, with anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders and online addiction all spiraling. They are also driving the rise of the ‘manosphere’ and of violent misogyny.
“Most young people want to use social media to communicate and share with friends and they shouldn’t be denied this opportunity. But they need to be protected from predatory social media corporations.
“Three-quarters of the public believe that there should be stronger regulation of social media algorithms and in 2024, Coimisiún na Meán’s draft Online Safety Code included a recommendation to turn off recommender algorithms by default. However, this was scrapped following lobbying by the big tech companies”.
“Toxic recommender algorithms are a serious threat to public health and safety and our Bill to turn them off would ensure that the welfare of the public is put ahead of corporate profits.”
Richard Boyd Barrett said “The public is still furious about the revelations about Elon Musk’s industrial scale production of sexual abuse images, including child sexual abuse material.
“The depravity of Musk in pursuit of power and profit is causing huge damage across the world. Social media platforms owned by other billionaires are equally harmful. These people will do anything for profit and only firm legal and regulatory actions will stop them.
“It's also clear the Government is trying to avoid taking meaningful action, even when faced with the reality of mass production of child sexual abuse content from a corporation with its headquarters just a 5-minute walk from Government buildings.
“But this will not go unchallenged. We will introduce our Bill to turn off toxic recommender algorithms in the Dáil next Wednesday and we call the Government to support the Bill in the interest of public health and safety and ensure that it’s progressed speedily into law”.