TikTok are to address their policies regarding the posting of illegal criminal activities on its platform, when they meet before the Oireachtas Committee on Media today.
This comes after five teenagers died when the car they were travelling in, crashed into another vehicle carrying three women and a child, who suffered serious injuries. The car that the teenagers were travelling in was driving the wrong way on the M50.
This comes a month after TikTok had initially declined an invitation to appear before the Oirechtas Committee on Media, with a spokesperson saying that they were unable to attend due to the garda investigation which was ongoing at the time.
They have since agreed to a meeting, where Head of Public Policy and Government Relations, Susan Moss is to speak about how the social media site has removed thousands of videos which "could cause significant physical harm including promoting risky driving" in the first half of the year.
According to such reports, 99.6% of such content was removed before any user had reported them and 89.9% within 24 hours of publication.
She is also expected to say: "We recognise the very real concern about content which glorifies or encourages dangerous and illegal behaviour, and the potential for such content to normalise these activities. The recent events on our roads have brought that concern into sharp focus. We understand the profound impact these events have had on those directly affected, and on the wider community".
TikTok have also said that they alone cannot take sole responsibility for dangerous activity which finds it way onto the platform.
An opening statement reads: "And while platforms have a responsibility to ensure they are not facilitating or amplifying criminal behaviour, responsibility for an act of criminality ultimately rests with the individual who chooses to commit it. That does not however diminish the responsibility we have as a platform to ensure we are doing everything we can to prevent our services being used to promote or facilitate that behaviour".
The hearing is to also see Coimisiún na Meán explain to the Oireachtas that six investigations into potential breaches of online safety by social media platform opened up.
Jeremy Godfrey, the media regulator's Executive Chairperson, states in his opening address: "We are collaborating with the European Commission on another four. We also have an on-going project to improve illegal content reporting mechanisms on platforms, so that people can effectively exercise their rights under the law".
Google are set to launch a defence of their policies regarding harmful content when they appear at this hearing in front of TDs and Senators.
The company's Public Affairs and Public Policy Manager in Ireland, Ryan Meade is to say how the enforcement of this policy is "rapid, scaled, and highly proactive".
Mr Meade will say in his opening statement: "In the first quarter of 2026, over 98.5% of the videos removed from YouTube were first detected by our automated systems. Crucially, by removing content before it gains traction, we systematically prevent harmful material from finding an audience. By way of example, in the first quarter of 2026, over 86.5% of the videos we removed had ten views or fewer".
The responsibilities of online platforms and the regulatory framework looking at this illegal content online, will also be examined at this committee, including Coimisiún na Meán's role in supervising compliance with online safety rules.
Committee Cathaoirleach, Alan Kelly has said: "Following the deeply concerning dangerous-driving incidents on our roads over the Summer, the Committee believes it is important to examine the role that online content can play in promoting, encouraging or glorifying conduct which puts lives at risk," said Committee Cathaoirleach Alan Kelly.
"We will be interested in how this content is identified and dealt with in practice, the effectiveness of existing safeguards, and the responsibilities of platforms in protecting users, particularly younger people, from harmful content."
"We will also consider the important distinction identified by Coimisiún na Meán between content that depicts criminal activity and content that promotes or glorifies it."
"Legitimate news reporting and public-interest discussion must be protected, but material which actively encourages people to endanger themselves or others must be addressed decisively," Mr Kelly said. (All quotes according to RTÉ).
