Ireland's media watchdog investigates X over concerns about age assurance measures and parental controls, the first formal probe under the Online Safety Code (Brian O'Donovan/RTÉ)

Ireland's media regulator Coimisiún na Meáin (CnaM) has opened an investigation into social media platform X, probing the company's age assurance measures and parental control systems. This is the first investigation under Ireland's Online Safety Code, which came into full effect last year and mandates effective age assurance for platforms hosting adult content.

Age assurance methods may include AI-based age estimation and photo ID verification. Platforms must also provide parental controls allowing guardians to monitor their children's content exposure. CnaM's digital services commissioner John Evans highlighted concerns over X's parental controls, stating they were "hard to locate" and not easily accessible during sign-up.

The investigation aims to determine whether X's age assurance measures and parental controls meet minimum functional requirements and are effectively directed to new users. X is also under separate investigation by the EU, Data Protection Commission, and UK government regarding its Grok AI chatbot and alleged non-compliance with the Digital Services Act.