SafeFamily Public Long-Form Proposal for Ireland

A Public Policy Proposal for Family-Safe Internet Access

Public-safe version (February 2026)

1. Purpose

SafeFamily proposes a practical, rights-compatible framework for improving child online safety in Ireland through:

• ISP-level DNS parental controls (network layer),
• age-appropriate family presets with clear parental control,
• transparent governance and independent oversight,
• complementary platform-layer safety measures.

This public version is designed for broad publication. Sensitive implementation, commercial, and security internals are intentionally excluded.

2. The Problem We Are Solving

Parents are expected to manage online safety across many devices and services:

• phones,
• tablets,
• game consoles,
• smart TVs,
• laptops and school devices.

Current controls are fragmented and inconsistent. Families often face:

• multiple dashboards,
• inconsistent policy behavior by device/platform,
• easy bypass paths between Wi-Fi and mobile data,
• unclear responsibility when controls fail.

The result is high effort for parents and uneven protection for children.

3. Policy Position

3.1 Core Policy Objective

Establish universal, family-controlled baseline protections that are:

• effective in practice,
• proportionate and rights-compatible,
• transparent and reviewable,
• simple enough for everyday family use.

3.2 Scope Boundaries

SafeFamily is a family-safety policy proposal, not a censorship model.

• Parents remain in control of settings.
• Adults without child-safety settings are not targeted.
• Clear opt-out pathways and appeal mechanisms are required.

4. Proposed Model

4.1 Network Layer (ISP DNS Parental Controls)

Provide parent-enabled DNS filtering presets at ISP level so protection can apply consistently across household devices.

4.2 Age-Banded Presets

Use a graduated model with developmental progression and parent governance:

• under 13: stricter default protections,
• 13-15: restricted and supervised transition,
• 16+: broader access with core harm controls.

4.3 Parent Governance

Parents should be able to:

• apply and adjust presets,
• set per-device/per-child controls,
• use clear override workflows,
• receive transparent safety reporting.

5. International Context (Separated by Policy Track)

SafeFamily distinguishes two policy tracks:

1. ISP/network track (SafeFamily core)
2. Platform social-media age-policy track (separate but complementary)

5.1 Platform Track Reference Points

• Australia: under-16 platform social-media duty framework.
• France: under-15 platform legislative trajectory.

These references inform social-media age-policy design, but do not replace ISP/network controls.

5.2 ISP Track Position

Ireland has an opportunity to lead with a coherent, rights-compatible ISP parental-control framework, implemented with strong oversight.

6. Governance and Accountability

A credible rollout requires:

• published policy definitions,
• independent oversight roles,
• appeal and correction processes,
• periodic public reporting,
• measurable quality and safety outcomes.

Accountability should focus on real-world effectiveness, false positives/negatives, responsiveness, and user trust.

7. Rights and Safeguards

The framework should include:

• data minimisation,
• purpose limitation,
• transparent policy operation,
• non-discrimination and accessibility,
• independent review and redress channels.

Safety outcomes and civil-liberties protections should be designed together, not treated as trade-offs.

8. Delivery Principles

SafeFamily supports phased deployment:

1. baseline rollout and governance setup,
2. quality and interoperability improvements,
3. ongoing review based on evidence.

Public communication should stay outcome-focused, while sensitive implementation details are shared in controlled channels with authorised stakeholders.

9. What This Public Document Does Not Include

To protect operational integrity and partner security, this public version intentionally excludes:

• detailed architecture and infrastructure internals,
• bypass and abuse-mitigation internals,
• sensitive implementation runbooks,
• private commercial/negotiation detail,
• restricted stakeholder and contact strategy information.

Those materials remain available only to authorised policy, regulator, and delivery stakeholders through controlled briefing paths.

10. Summary

SafeFamily's public long-form proposal is:

• pro-family safety: practical protections that work across real devices,
• pro-rights: clear boundaries, parent control, and oversight,
• pro-delivery: implementable in phases with measurable accountability.

This document is the public long-form companion to the executive summary.