--- title: "Ireland — Children & Vulnerable Groups | Data Protection Monitor" canonical: https://dataprotection.gi/jurisdictions/ireland/children-and-vulnerable-groups/ source_html: /jurisdictions/ireland/children-and-vulnerable-groups/index.html description: "Ireland — Children & Vulnerable Groups: children_and_vulnerable_groups Children & Vulnerable Groups 5 sub-modules 3 claims Amber ▾ # Age-of-consent and education-setting guidance are strongly evidenced; minor-profiling-b" generated_at: 2026-10-25T04:46:50Z content_sha256: 17193bb3c6895c02235bf785253fd136ea7099efcaf42c9712da17cb719706b0 generator: "fe-fleet/md-twin@1.0" --- # Ireland — Children & Vulnerable Groups | Data Protection Monitor ### D9Children & Vulnerable Groups5 sub-modules3 claimsAmber▾# Age-of-consent and education-setting guidance are strongly evidenced; minor-profiling-ban and dependent-adult sub-modules lack directly retrieved DPC-specific sourcing. Primary framework GDPR Article 8 as implemented by the Data Protection Act 2018 Supervisory authority [Data Protection Commission (DPC)](https://www.dataprotection.ie/) Traffic-light rationale — Amber Age-of-consent and education-setting guidance are strongly evidenced; minor-profiling-ban and dependent-adult sub-modules lack directly retrieved DPC-specific sourcing. #### Sub-modules (5) #### Age VerificationGreen GDPR permits Member States to set the digital-consent age between 13 and 16; Ireland elected the maximum permissible age of 16. Claims (1): - The GDPR permits Member States to set the age of digital consent for information society services between 13 and 16 years, and Ireland elected the maximum permissible age of 16. #### Parental ConsentGreen Below the age-of-16 threshold, online information-society-service providers must generally obtain parental consent under Article 8 GDPR / DPA 2018. Claims (1): - Ireland's Data Protection Act 2018 sets the age of digital consent at 16 years under Article 8 GDPR, requiring parental consent for information-society-service processing of children's data below that age. #### Minor Profiling BansRed No DPC-specific minor-profiling-ban guidance or enforcement was retrieved in this pass. Absence provenance: unavailable . Searched: unavailable . #### Education SettingsGreen The DPC published finalised guidance on child-oriented data processing covering offline educational, sporting, social and health/support settings likely to be accessed by children. Claims (1): - The DPC published its finalised guidance, 'Fundamentals for a Child-Oriented Approach to Data Processing,' on 17 December 2021, covering data processing in offline educational, sporting, social and health/support settings likely to be accessed by children. #### Dependent AdultsRed No DPC-specific dependent-adult (elderly, mentally incapacitated) protections guidance was retrieved in this pass. Absence provenance: unavailable . Searched: unavailable . Category narrative 52 words Ireland set the GDPR Article 8 age of digital consent at 16 years -- the maximum permitted under the GDPR's 13-16 range -- and the DPC published dedicated child-oriented processing guidance ('Fundamentals for a Child-Oriented Approach to Data Processing', December 2021). Minor-profiling-ban and dependent-adult-specific DPC sourcing was not retrieved in this pass. Periodic update · new data 2026-10-18 #### Children & Vulnerable Groups Coimisiun na Mean's Online Safety Code imposes specific obligations directed at protecting children online. Section 12.10 requires effective age assurance, stating explicitly that self-declaration alone is not considered effective. Section 14 requires parental controls to be made available where a service permits use by under-16s. Section 17.2 bans the commercial reuse of data collected for age-assurance purposes. Part A of the Code has applied from 19 November 2024, and Part B from 21 July 2025. On 8 September 2026, Coimisiun na Mean opened its first formal investigation under the Online Safety Code, into the platform X. This is the first occasion on which the Commission has used its investigatory powers under the Code since those provisions took effect, and it marks the transition of the children's-safety framework from a set of standing obligations into one with an active enforcement record. #### Outlook As the first formal Code investigation, the outcome of the inquiry into X is likely to be read as an indication of how the Commission intends to apply the age-assurance and parental-control provisions in practice, and of what evidentiary standard it will require platforms to meet to demonstrate effective age assurance. Evidence 3 Sources and claims (3) - Probable[European Data Protection Board](https://www.edpb.europa.eu/system/files/documents/files/file1/edpb_guidelines_3_2018_territorial_scope_after_public_consultation_en_1.pdf) — The GDPR permits Member States to set the age of digital consent for information society services between 13 and 16 years, and Ireland elected the maximum permissible age of 16.observed 2026-07-29 - Probable[Data Protection Commission](https://www.dataguidance.com/sites/default/files/fundamentals_for_a_child-oriented_approach_to_data_processing_final_en.pdf) — Ireland's Data Protection Act 2018 sets the age of digital consent at 16 years under Article 8 GDPR, requiring parental consent for information-society-service processing of children's data below that age.observed 2026-07-29 - Probable[DataGuidance / OneTrust](https://legacy.dataguidance.com/jurisdiction/ireland) — The DPC published its finalised guidance, 'Fundamentals for a Child-Oriented Approach to Data Processing,' on 17 December 2021, covering data processing in offline educational, sporting, social and health/support settings likely to be accessed by children.observed 2026-07-29