Scope and Purpose of the Irish Online Safety Code for Video-Sharing Platform Services
The Irish Online Safety Code, fully operational since July 2025, establishes binding regulations for video-sharing platform services (VSPS) to mitigate harmful and illegal content. Given Ireland’s status as a primary host for many large platforms, the Code extends its regulatory influence across the European Union, ensuring compliance with EU-wide standards. Its primary objectives are to protect children and the general public from online harms while fostering a safer digital environment.
The Code applies to providers of video-sharing platform services, defined as entities offering audiovisual programs or user-generated videos for entertainment, education, or information. The regulatory framework is designed to address a broad spectrum of content, ranging from user-generated material to professionally produced audiovisual programs.
The Code’s development was guided by evidence-based research, including a Call for Inputs launched in July 2023, which gathered 55 written submissions from stakeholders. Additionally, a comprehensive evidence review by PA Consulting analyzed global and European studies on online harms, while Ipsos B&A conducted public surveys to assess usage patterns and perceptions of regulatory responsibility.
Key Protections and Regulatory Measures
The Code mandates several protective measures to safeguard users, particularly children, from harmful content. Providers must integrate protections into their terms and conditions, implement content rating systems, and offer age-assurance mechanisms alongside parental controls. These tools are essential for restricting access to inappropriate material, such as adult-only content, including pornography and gratuitous violence, which may adversely affect minors’ development.
For children, the Code prohibits audiovisual commercial communications that exploit their vulnerability, such as ads encouraging purchases or persuading parents to buy products. These measures aim to shield children from exploitative marketing and harmful influences.
The general public is protected from a range of illegal and harmful content under the Code. This includes material that incites hatred or violence, violates EU criminal laws (e.g., child sexual abuse material, terrorist propaganda, or racist content), or promotes behaviors linked to eating disorders, self-harm, or suicide. Providers must also prevent discrimination based on protected characteristics such as sex, race, religion, disability, or sexual orientation.
User-generated content, including comments and associated materials, is subject to the same regulatory standards as video content. Platforms are required to establish mechanisms for reporting and flagging harmful material, ensuring swift removal or mitigation of risks. Media literacy tools and resources must also be provided to educate users about online safety and responsible content consumption.
Development Process and Compliance Framework
The Code’s creation involved a multi-stage consultative process to ensure transparency and stakeholder engagement. Following the Call for Inputs in 2023, a draft Code was published for public consultation in December 2023, receiving 1,398 submissions from diverse groups, including NGOs, industry representatives, and government agencies. The Youth Advisory Committee also provided critical feedback on the draft, emphasizing the need for child-centric protections.
The regulatory framework was developed in compliance with Directive (EU) 2015/1535, which mandates notification of draft technical regulations to the European Commission via the Technical Regulations Information System (TRIS). The TRIS process concluded in August 2024 without objections from the Commission or other EU member states, confirming the Code’s alignment with EU standards.
The Coimisiún na Meán offers guidance materials to assist platforms in implementing the Code, ensuring consistency in compliance efforts. These resources cover content moderation practices, user reporting systems, and the integration of age-verification technologies, among other critical areas.
Synergies with the Digital Services Act (DSA)
While the Irish Online Safety Code operates independently, it complements the obligations outlined in the Digital Services Act (DSA) for video-sharing platforms. The DSA imposes additional responsibilities on providers, such as adhering to advertising transparency rules, maintaining signal integrity, and ensuring compliance with teleshopping regulations.
The DSA’s requirements for signal integrity and information rules further reinforce the need for accurate and reliable content moderation.
Required actions
- Video-sharing platforms established in Ireland must prohibit harmful content, provide age assurance for adult content and parental controls - Turn off recommender profiling of children by default and provide reporting and complaints mechanisms