Irish regulator opens formal investigation into X over child access, parental controls

DUBLIN, Sept 8 (Reuters) - An Irish regulator has begun a formal investigation into social media platform X over concerns about potential child access to material depicting pornography and violence and the effectiveness of parental controls, it said on Tuesday.

Media regulator Coimisiún na Meán has the power to apply a fine of up to 10% of "relevant annual turnover" under Ireland's Online Safety Code.

Under the code, age assurance is required to ensure that children do not see videos "depicting pornography or extreme/gross and gratuitous violence or acts of cruelty," the regulator said in a statement announcing the investigation.

It said concerns had arisen in relation to the "potential ineffective implementation of age assurance mechanisms by X," adding that age assurance based solely on self-declaration is not considered effective.

X did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Its website says the company takes a "multi-faceted age assurance approach to verify or estimate whether users are 18 or under."

In its statement the regulator also cited concerns that parental controls put in place by X "may not be effective, do not have minimum requirements, are hard to locate and are not brought to the attention of new users at sign-up stage."

(Writing by Conor Humphries; editing by William James)