Ireland’s Online Safety Commissioner, Niamh Hodnett has today (13.11.2025) been appointed to Chair the Global Online Safety Regulators Network (GOSRN) at the Network’s Annual In-Person Meeting, which took place in Dublin. Commissioner Hodnett, who has been Online Safety Commissioner at Coimisiún na Meán since 2023 was selected to Chair the Network.
Members of GOSRN include Ireland’s Coimisiún na Meán, the UK regulator Ofcom, the Australian eSafety Commissioner, and regulators from France, Korea, Slovakia, South Africa, Fiji and the Netherlands. The Network was established in 2022 to foster collaboration and coherence in online safety regulation across different jurisdictions.
Speaking about the announcement earlier today, Online Safety Commissioner Niamh Hodnett said: “Coimisiún na Meán are delighted to take up the position of Chair of the Global Online Safety Regulators Network, which sends a strong message about our shared commitment to online safety regulation. As Chair, I will prioritise working together with regulators across the globe to make sure that online safety is not limited to national borders. We will also continue to listen to the voices of young people through consultation with our global youth ambassadors.
‘’As a Network, we are developing an evidence base for online safety and growing our collective knowledge. This cross-border cooperation strengthens our ability to hold online platforms accountable for how they keep their users safe online. As the Network continues to grow, we will also collaborate closely with our observer members across the world, including the US, Asia and the global South. For Coimisiún na Meán, our participation in GOSRN underlines our commitment to ensuring a safer online experience for users of online platforms, especially children.”
GOSRN brings together regulators and observers from five continents and is dedicated to supporting collaboration between online safety regulators. It aims to enhance coherence and consistency between international regulators’ approaches to online safety, through the sharing of information, expertise, and experience.
As Chair of the Network, Coimisiún na Meán will continue to deliver on the Network’s objectives from their three-year Strategic Plan.