People Before Profit hosted a press conference this afternoon on its Online Safety (Recommender Algorithms) Bill 2026.
The Bill will be debated at Second Stage in the Dáil this Wednesday, 4th March. A vote in the Dáil on the Bill is expected that evening. It is unclear if the Government will support the Bill.
The Bill would require 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.
People Before Profit oppose proposals to ban under 16s from social media and also oppose plans for mandatory age verification to use social media and the ending of online anonymity.
People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy said “On Wednesday People Before Profit will use our Private Members Business time in the Dáil for a Second Stage debate on our Online Safety (Recommender Algorithms) Bill 2026. The Bill would require social media corporations to turn off recommender algorithms for children aged under 18 and ensure that recommender algorithms based on profiling or sensitive personal data have to be actively turned on by adult users."
Murphy noted “Numerous studies have shown that social media recommender algorithms are bombarding children with harmful material, including material that promotes self-harm, anorexia and suicide and toxic content that promotes misogyny, racism, homophobia and transphobia.
“A recent study found that 10 blank male-identified accounts of 16 and 18 year olds on 10 blank smartphone were all fed anti-feminist and other extremist content within just 23 minutes. Within three hours the vast majority of the content recommended was toxic, primarily alpha male and anti-feminist content, with Andrew Tate featuring heavily.
“The public wants action on toxic algorithms. 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. Our Bill seeks to do what the Government should have done long before now.”
Richard Boyd Barrett said “Most young people want to use social media to communicate and share with friends and they shouldn’t be denied this opportunity.
“I don’t accept that young people should be banned from social media. Young people will find ways around a ban on and so will continue to be subjected to the toxic content delivered by the algorithms deployed by social media platforms. Social media should be available for the positive engagement with friends that young people want but they should be protected from predatory social media corporations, and that’s what our Bill would do.”
“I also oppose plans for mandatory age verification to use social media and for the ending of online anonymity. Age verification raises important issues, as highlighted by the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, regarding giving social media corporations access to vast amounts of additional personal data and increased state surveillance.
“The Government is looking for a route out of the public pressure to act that has minimal impact on the social media corporations that they are so eager to please. Once again, the interests and profits of corporations are getting higher priority than public health and safety.
“What’s needed are firm actions to ensure young people can have the positive social engagements they want in a safe environment. Action is needed to stop social media recommender algorithms from bombarding children with harmful material.
“That’s why, on Wednesday we will use our Private Members' Business time in the Dáil to initiate a Second Stage debate on our Online Safety (Recommender Algorithms) Bill 2026, with a vote on the Bill expected on Wednesday evening.
“There have been media reports that the Government will not oppose the Bill, but it is not clear if that will be the case. In the interests of public health and safety, we call on the Government to support our Bill and to ensure it is progressed speedily into law”.