- Irish regulator opened a formal probe into X to see if it prevents children viewing pornography and extreme violence.
- Investigation will examine X's age checks and parental controls, noting self-declared age is insufficient and controls may be hard to find.
- If in breach, X could be fined up to 10 percent of relevant annual turnover or 20 million euros and faces other EU probes.
Ireland’s media regulator said Tuesday it had opened a probe into Elon Musk’s X over whether the platform is doing enough to prevent children from viewing pornography and extreme violence.
X’s European headquarters are in Ireland, bringing the platform within the remit of the Irish regulator’s Online Safety Code.
The regulator Coimisiun na Mean said it would examine X’s age checks and parental controls, in the first formal investigation launched under the code.
The Online Safety Code requires platforms to use effective age checks to ensure children do not normally see videos containing pornography or extreme or gratuitous violence.
Simply asking users to declare their age is not considered sufficient, the regulator said.
It will also investigate whether parental controls offered by X meet the requirements of the code.
The regulator said it had concerns that the controls may not be effective, could be difficult to find and were not adequately brought to the attention of users when they opened an account.
“Children have a fundamental right to participate in society, which includes the digital world, and to be protected from harm, abuse and exploitation online,” digital services commissioner John Evans said.
X allows adult-only content on its platform while also allowing children under 16 to use the service.
If it is found to have broken the code, the company could face a fine of up to 10 percent of relevant annual turnover or 20 million euros ($23 million), whichever is greater.
The regulator is already investigating X under the EU’s Digital Services Act over concerns about users’ rights to appeal content moderation decisions.
It is also involved in a separate European Commission investigation into suspected risks linked to X’s artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
