In the early hours of Sunday, August 16th, a fatal car crash took place on the M9 motorway, killing five teenagers driving the wrong way down the motorway. The four occupants of the other car, three women and a young child, were seriously injured. The tragedy of this incident is almost incomprehensible, particularly given the circumstances in which this family was injured (travelling to a family wedding), but also due to the young age of the five deceased. Unsurprisingly, this accident has sparked widespread public criticism, which the government needs to be seen to address promptly.
Social media platform TikTok appears to be the first subject of blame, having received and declined an invitation to appear before the Oireachtas media committee in the wake of the accident. In its haste, has the government jumped to an easy and inaccurate solution: to blame social media without acknowledging and facing its own responsibility for the social factors and failings of state institutions that contributed to this accident?
2026 seems determined to become the worst year for road fatalities since 2010 and is likely to achieve this morbid goal, according to the vice president of the Garda Representative Association, John Joe O’Connell. 62 incidents of driving the wrong way down Ireland’s motorways alone have been reported this year, marking a 32 per cent increase compared to the same period last year. But what correlation, if any, is there between TikTok and this unusual and worrying phenomenon?
Social media platforms have undoubtedly amplified reckless driving — previously referred to as “joyriding” — trends. A new factor adding to the adrenaline-fuelled formula: an audience. Social media creates natural appeal for these young criminals who attempt to bait Gardaí into pursuit, videos of which they then post online. Criminologist Trina O’Connor describes these crimes as “expressive”; “crimes that are about performance” and explains that the way to tackle them is to examine environmental factors that trigger these individuals, which should be managed “from an early intervention point of view”. Referring to the contribution of social media, Mary Aiken, a professor of forensic cyberpsychology at the University of East London, describes the creation of a “cyberspace” that causes the drivers to have “one foot in the real world” and the other in cyberspace where they seek praise and reaction. The attention of online audiences is appealing, addictive even, and can amplify a predisposition for taking risks. “They’re thinking about the likes,” said Aiken. So yes, the responsibility of social media for some of the conditions that contributed to this incident is undeniable. Furthermore, TikTok’s refusal to appear before the Oireachtas media committee was insensitive and counterproductive, particularly seeing as similar videos of reckless driving have been posted on the app since the accident. However, TikTok should not be forced to stand alone as the stones are thrown, and the continuation of the government’s evasion of culpability will ensure little learning is gained from this tragedy.
The government’s oversimplified initial response to the incident laid the blueprint for a polarised public reaction. Instead of leading with logic, frustration was palpable in rather incendiary official statements. Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly was first to comment and bluntly blamed social media and the pursuit of likes for the accident. Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan followed suit, condemning reckless driving “in the strongest possible terms”. The underlying anger of these statements contributed to an atmosphere in which some members of the public felt they could abuse the boys’ grieving family members, who were subject to so much hateful commentary on social media that they withdrew funeral notices. The five young men have caused unimaginable hurt, for which they have paid the ultimate price. Therefore, this must be seen for what it is, and that is a tragedy, but even more importantly, it must be viewed as a learning opportunity. Grieving families are being berated online while the government dawdles, futilely blaming external factors like TikTok without any form of introspection or policy progress. Having wasted time deflecting blame, not one tangible measure has been put in place to prevent future cases of reckless driving, which will continue long after this story is forgotten by the news cycle.
Instead of jumping to easy conclusions, there must be reflection on the more complex conditions that resulted in this tragedy. Three of the five boys were known to Tusla, the child and family agency. One of them, Jack Kennedy, 17, was in a residential placement in the care of Tusla. Kennedy had been moved around a series of these placements in recent years, a practice which is known to be to the detriment of these young people, as it denies them continuity of care, something vital for an individual’s well-being in their journey through adolescence. Often this deficit in support leads to the pursuit of approval from other sources, for instance, social media praise within the ‘cyberspace’. These boys were some of the most vulnerable members of society. The factors that led to their untimely deaths cannot be tolerated, and it is the state that is fundamentally responsible for failing to intervene adequately or put the scaffolding in place necessary to prevent their drift into criminality.
Moving forward, another state system must come into focus. Reckless driving is a problem decades old and not one that will vanish overnight. Consequently, the criminal justice system has begun drafting change in response to this fatal accident to fill the current gap in policing ability. Mr O’Callaghan has promised, “whatever resources the gardaí need to confront this threat to public safety”. He has confirmed that pursuit training will be provided later this year, and he is seeking the introduction of a stand-alone offence for driving against traffic. Mr O’Callaghan also plans to create an indemnity for gardaí in vehicle pursuits, as they can currently find themselves liable or even before the courts, for damage caused. The planned reform will likely increase the gardaí’s ability to manage these situations when they do occur, but why not focus on preventing them altogether? This measure is essentially just sticking a flimsy (and expensive) policing plaster over a gaping societal wound. These measures will need to be funded by money that could instead be used more effectively elsewhere to tackle the root causes, for instance, the improvement of youth outreach and the creation of an effective juvenile crime system that, rather than reinforcing criminal identities through peer contagion, would rehabilitate and support.
The government’s initial disproportionate blame of TikTok was weak, inaccurate and futile. An acknowledgement of the dangers posed by social media in regard to dangerous driving is important. However, to use it as a reputational shield while the government struggles to figure out how best to deal with this situation is a demonstration of poor leadership. If anything is to come of this tragedy, it should be increased support and funding of state systems and institutions that provide essential support to vulnerable, underprivileged young people. This problem may or may not be beyond the capabilities of the current government, but one thing is for sure: blaming TikTok, the easy and obvious scapegoat, will not suffice as a solution to this issue.
