TikTok, Meta and Google defend content policies before Irish media committee after fatal M9 crash

The Oireachtas media committee convened to examine how major social-media platforms handle content that glorifies illegal activity, following a tragic M9 incident in which five teenagers died driving the wrong way. TikTok told the panel that criminal responsibility lies with the individual, yet the service proactively removes harmful videos, reporting that 99.6% are taken down before any user flags them and 89.9% disappear within 24 hours.

Meta said it bans “high-risk viral challenges” and now classifies opposite-direction driving as a prohibited challenge, restricting or removing such material accordingly. Google explained that YouTube relies on machine-learning classifiers, automatically deleting more than 98.5% of dangerous videos in the first quarter of 2026. Each company pledged to support An Garda Síochána and to work with a broader cross-societal response, while noting compliance with the EU Digital Services Act and Ireland’s Online Safety Code, which can impose hefty fines for non-compliance.