Coimisiun na Mean seeks answers from TikTok over reckless driving content

The regulator will assess TikToks response to determine whether it has complied with its obligations and a formal investigation is possible if it finds potential breaches

19:05, 18 Aug 2026

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Coimisiun na Mean is examining TikToks handling of risky and reckless driving content on the platform and has asked the company for a "full account" of the measures it has taken.

The regulator will assess TikToks response to determine whether it has complied with its obligations and a formal investigation is possible if it finds potential breaches.

This comes after TikTok said it was closely monitoring content related to the deaths of five teenage boys in a collision when their BMW was driven the wrong way down the M9 motorway in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Their vehicle was travelling southbound on the northbound carriageway of the M9 when it hit a Hyundai between Junction 3 and Junction 4, at Moone, Co Kildare, shortly before 3am on Sunday.

Joe Carthy, 15, of Clonmullion, Athy, Co Kildare, Kamil Pustkowski, 17, from Limerick; Jack Kennedy, 17, from Athy; Jeremy OBrien, 18, from Carlow; and Alex McCarthy, 17, also from Carlow, died instantly.

[The five teenagers who died were in a car that had been bought five days earlier.]

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The five teenagers who died were in a car that had been bought five days earlier.

The innocent driver and passengers in the Hyundai, sisters Alma and Niamh Kinsella, aged in their 30s, and their younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, were seriously injured in the collision.

Ellas seven-year-old nephew, who was a rear-seat passenger in their car when it was hit by the BMW, is also seriously injured.

The sisters and the boy were travelling to Dublin Airport for a flight to the UK for a wedding.

Executive chairperson Jeremy Godfrey said the media regulator will investigate if TikTok is in breach of its obligations.

Mr Godfrey said the commission has been in touch with TikTok and expects an initial response from it before the end of Tuesday.

"We've been in touch with TikTok, we've asked them for a full account of what they've seen on their platform, how they dealt with it, and when we have that account, which we expect to get an initial response by the end of today," he said speaking on RTEs News at One.

"We will assess whether they appear to be in breach of any of their obligations, and if they are, we can take things further with investigations and enforcement action," he said.

Mr Godfrey said that content showing dangerous driving is "clearly very damaging" and it is the responsibility of social media platforms to make sure they deal with the risks, to take it down and not to amplify it.

"We're getting information from them and when we have that information we'll make sure we will assess whether they are abiding by their obligation, one of which is to enforce those terms, make sure that their users do abide by those terms, they take down content that doesn't comply with those terms, that they ban the accounts of people who persistently breach those terms.

"We've seen their public comments, we've had initial engagement with them where they've told us some of what they've taken down, but we want to get a full account of everything they've done before we assess whether or not they're in compliance," Mr Godfrey added.

On Monday, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan said it is "clearly the case from a Government perspective" that the responsibility for ensuring social media firms live up to their responsibilities lies with Coimisiun na Mean.

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TikTok said on Monday that it was removing videos and accounts that break its rules.

The company also said it removes content that glorifies violence or promotes crimes that could harm people - including risky driving.

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