Preparing for the digital future

Ireland’s technology sector is at a pivotal moment as new regulations reshape the digital landscape. With global catalysts such as Australia’s under-16 social media ban and the EU’s push for digital identity wallets, Irish organisations must rapidly adapt their operating models, products, and governance to stay ahead.

This article outlines the top risks and opportunities, offering practical steps for organisations to turn compliance into a competitive advantage.

The key risks facing firms regulatory and reputational exposure from weak age assurance or manipulative design and fragmented implementation leading to technical debt and inconsistent user experiences. Howeve,r firms that manage these risks successfully have the opportunity to build trust and open new markets through robust, privacy-first digital experiences, leveraging compliance as a driver for innovation and operational resilience.

Shane Carrick

Managing Director

KPMG in Ireland

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Preparing for the Digital Future: Online Safety and Age Verification

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Global catalysts: Australia’s ban and Ireland’s response

Australia’s new law prohibits under 16s from holding accounts on most major social media platforms and places the burden squarely on firms to prevent under age access, backed by fines of up to approximately €28 million.

The regime also demands more than simple date of birth checks, pushing platforms toward robust age assurance techniques that can withstand regulatory and public scrutiny.

Ireland’s online health and safety approach

Ireland is not replicating the Australian ban immediately, but government statements make clear that stronger age verification is now on the table, with an Australia style prohibition being kept “in reserve” if softer measures fail. The EU is also moving towards a default minimum age of 16 for social media, signalling firmer protections ahead of new legislation.

Across Europe and in Ireland, policymakers are recalibrating the digital environment around three themes: safety, fairness, and resilience. The Irish Online Health Taskforce final report proposes a whole-of-government framework for protecting children and young people online, anchoring online safety as a public health priority.

Coimisiún na Meán’s Online Safety Code introduces binding requirements for age assurance, content moderation, and media literacy, raising expectations for Irish-based video sharing platforms.

Digital wallets and age verification: from concept to implementation

The EU Digital Identity Wallet (EUDI) programme will enable users to prove their age without disclosing full identity data. Ireland is preparing its own national digital wallet, with integrated age verification and strict data minimisation.

For organisations, this means wallet attestations will soon become the standard for age-restricted digital experiences.

Implications for Ireland’s tech sector

Regulatory convergence and scrutiny

Firms should anticipate multi-agency interest, with health, media, consumer, and data protection regulators all engaging on child safety and fairness.
Compliance as competitive advantage
Organisations that treat these requirements as a catalyst for product evolution can differentiate on trust, user experience, and resilience.
- Trust and growth: Delivering age-appropriate experiences and robust parental tools can deepen trust and open new market segments.
- Data minimisation and privacy: Wallet-enabled age assurance reduces personal data exposure, supporting GDPR compliance and user confidence.
- Operational resilience: Embedding safety and fairness metrics into dashboards and board reporting strengthens governance and crisis response.
Regulatory and reputational exposure

Organisations that don’t address compliance requirements face increased regulatory and reputational risk. Weak controls or manipulative design (“dark patterns”) could trigger enforcement and public scrutiny. Equally, ad hoc responses to new requirements risk technical debt and inconsistent user experiences.

Practical roadmap:
Next steps for Irish organisations

Successfully navigating this landscape will demand an integrated response spanning regulation, safety engineering, identity, AI governance and operational resilience.

Diagnose (0–3 months)
Design and pilot (3–9 months)
Scale and assure (9–18 months)

Conduct a gap analysis against Ireland’s online safety framework and EU guidance.
Review current identity and consent architectures for wallet integration readiness.

Design age assurance journeys with cross-functional teams.
Pilot wallet-based verification for higher-risk features.
Implement a minors’ safety control set, including default privacy and enhanced moderation.

Industrialise wallet-attestation acceptance and monitoring.
Embed child safety and fairness metrics in operational dashboards.
Prepare evidence packs for regulators and auditors.

How KPMG can help

KPMG Ireland offers end-to-end support, from benchmarking your current posture to designing and implementing privacy-first compliance architectures.

Our multidisciplinary teams can help you turn regulatory change into an opportunity for growth, resilience, and innovation. We can support you with:

Regulatory benchmarking

Assess your current posture against Ireland’s online safety framework and EU digital identity requirements.
Strategy & roadmap development

Translate regulatory changes into actionable plans tailored to your business.
Design & implementation

Architect and deploy wallet-enabled age verification, privacy-first compliance controls, and safer user experiences.
Operational resilience

Integrate child safety and fairness metrics into dashboards, reporting, and crisis playbooks, embedding compliance by design principles.
Training & change management

Equip your teams with the knowledge and tools to sustain compliance and drive innovation.
Audit & assurance

Prepare evidence packs and conduct readiness audits for regulators and stakeholders.