The Digital Age Of Consent In Ireland Will Be Lowered Later This Year

The digital age of consent is set to be lowered from 16 to 13 later this year.

This refers to the age at which it is legal for young people to sign up to online website services and have their information held by data controllers.

The new regulation will mean that parental consent will only be required until an individual is 13-years-old. 

According to the Irish Times, the new regulation will come into effect on 25 May this year.

The Children’s Rights Alliance had recommended setting the digital age of consent to “the lowest possible age” last year.

This recommendation was backed up by Ian Power, president of the National Youth Council of Ireland.

In an opinion piece for the Irish Times, he said that 13 was “already official policy in the US”.

He said: “There are those who will point to the vital role of parents and guardians in tempering these rights with concern for their child’s security.”

“It is true that parents and guardians have a significant role to play: the ideal will always be that children’s rights and parental responsibilities go hand-in-hand.”

He added: “Yet it is no great difficulty to imagine a scenario in which a young person’s rights are directly harmed by an abusive or neglectful parent. In such cases, the ability to access online services in confidence is an incomparable tool for securing help and support.”

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