Almost three-quarters of children between the ages of eight and 12 still have social media accounts, while sexual content is being pushed to those aged between 12 and 15, research has found.

CyberSafeKids has also warned that children’s access to generative AI and chatbots has grown exponentially, without safeguards or protections.

The online safety charity’s tenth annual report, out today, says little has changed one year after new laws came into force to prevent underage children accessing social media platforms.

Peter Mooney, principal of Dominican Primary School in Dún Laoghaire, south Dublin, said: ‘What these children describe in the report is deeply troubling. It’s a sad reminder of the kind of harmful material young children are ative, disturbing, violent and inappropriate content along with unwanted contact, even in gaming environments believed to be safe, as well as on platforms meant for users 13 and older.

‘Most worryingly, almost a quarter of primary school-aged children who had a distressing online experience kept it to themselves, telling no one. In reality, children spend too much time on devices and much of that time is unsupervised.’

CyberSafeKids surveyed over 7,000 children in the academic year 2025-26, and found eight-to-12-year-olds used Roblox more than any other online environment (68%). Access to YouTube (63%), Snapchat (21%), and TikTok (20%) remains high for this age group.

Of children who reported negative experiences, 58% named Roblox as the place where these happened, leading the charity to warn that EU regulation is failing to keep pace with where children spend their time. WhatsApp is still the most popular app for 12-to-15-year-olds (85%), and 99% of that age cohort use social media apps – the most popular being YouTube (80%), Snapchat (78%), TikTok (72%) and Instagram (48%).

As of July 21 last year, new online safety rules came into force in Ireland which required video-sharing platforms to have effective age-verification systems in place. Under the Online Safety Code, sites such as Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X became legally obliged to protect users from harmful content.

Companies would face fines of up to €20million or 10% of a platform’s annual turnover, whichever was greater, for breaches. The rules covered content such as cyber-bullying, promotion of self-harm, suicide, eating disorders or dangerous challenges, as well as porn and violence. Platforms must also have parental controls in place, the code said.

Plans to set an EU-wide minimum age limit restricting under-13s from accessing social media are to be discussed at a special meeting being organised by the Government next month. Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has written to his EU colleagues asking them to come together to consider a landmark plan that would restrict access to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X for many children.

In Ireland, the digital age of consent is 16, meaning children under this age need permission from a parent/guardian to sign up for services that rely on consent to collect and use personal data. However, CyberSafeKids said safety measures on these platforms have not translated into meaningfully better experiences for children – roughly a quarter of children aged eight to 15 report being ‘bothered’ by some form of contact or content online, unchanged since last year.

Of the children who reported negative experiences, there has been a significant rise in exposure to scams or bad or fake information this year, which is reaching 36% of eight-to-12-year-olds and 41% of 12-to-15-year-olds.

Another finding is the escalation in those aged 12 to 15 coming across sexual content, up to 24% from 10% last year – the majority of which was pushed to them, and not sought.

The charity said there was explosive growth in generative AI use this year. It said 55% of those aged eight to 12, and 76% of 12-to 15-year-olds, now use AI. It is said this showed an urgent need to address safety now and not repeat previous mistakes.

The use by those aged 12 to 15 is more likely to be task-oriented – 75% look up information, and 27% use it for schoolwork. Younger children engage more for entertainment and experimentation, with 47% asking fun or random questions.

CyberSafeKids said the conversational style of AI tools encourages this, with 16% of those aged eight to 12 and 20% of 12-to 15-year-olds chatting or getting advice from AI, and roughly one in ten finding AI easier to chat with than people they know.

Despite widespread adoption of these products, 50% of eight-to-12-year-olds, and 45% of 12-to-15- year-olds, say no one has talked to them about AI. Some 62% of eight-to-12-year-olds in DEIS primary schools own a smartphone – over twice the level in non-DEIS schools (29%).

The study also found the use of apps, including TikTok and Snapchat, was much more common among DEIS pupils (35% vs 15% and 17% respectively among non-DEIS pupils).

Alex Cooney, chief executive of CyberSafeKids, said: ‘After a raft of new legislation in Ireland and at EU level in 2025, we had real expectations of change, but this report shows those expectations haven’t been met.’

She said they flagged concerns last year about access to chatbots and the absence of regulation for the technology.

‘A year on, little has changed on regulation, while children’s access has grown exponentially, without safeguards or protections,’ she added. ‘The intense debate over banning under-16s from social media is missing the point. We’re arguing over whether to lock the door while the laws already meant to protect children inside go unenforced. We have to do better.’

Nicola Flannery, digital trust and privacy leader at Deloitte Ireland, said: ‘Ireland’s Online Safety Code and EU Digital Services Act have raised the floor, but this report shows us regulation alone was never going to be enough.’

She said the solution ‘requires regulators to close the gaps this report identifies, the platforms to build in safety by design from the outset, schools to embed digital literacy into curricula, and parents to stay engaged’.

CyberSafeKids gave a number of recommendations, including a need to implement the Online Health Taskforce recommendations without delay.

This report, published last December by Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, proposed an operational need for safety by design, digital literacy, law enforcement and accountability.

A spokesman for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport said: ‘The Online Safety Code… includes provisions on the protection of children and came into full force in July 2025. For example, designated video-sharing platforms that are established in Ireland must institute measures to prevent minors from accessing adult-only material, such as pornography and gratuitous violence.

‘Failure to adequately fulfil these obligations can lead to significant fines and continued non-compliance can lead to criminal sanctions for senior management.’

The Mail contacted Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, for comment.