Social media company TikTok has agreed to appear before the Oireachtas Media Committee on September 23, reversing an earlier refusal to attend a public hearing into videos glorifying dangerous driving on its platform.

Committee chairman Alan Kelly confirmed that the company provided written confirmation of its attendance on Friday morning. The decision follows intense public scrutiny and criticism after a fatal crash on the M9 motorway in August, in which five teenagers died when their car travelled the wrong way down the road, colliding with another vehicle and leaving four people seriously injured.

TikTok had initially declined the committee's invitation last month, citing ongoing investigations by An Garda Síochána and media regulator Coimisiún na Meán. Instead, the platform had offered to provide committee members with a private briefing. The initial refusal was described by Kelly at the time as unacceptable given the public interest in online safety safeguards.

Kelly, a Labour Party TD, said the platform's change of heart followed discussions held during the Irish Presidency Conference on Online Safety for Children and Young People at Dublin Castle. During a panel discussion at the event, TikTok representatives outlined the company's online safety operations, noting that the platform allocates approximately €2 billion annually toward global safety measures.

In a statement welcoming the reversal, Kelly stated that he appreciated TikTok's decision to engage publicly with lawmakers. He noted that the committee intends to examine how quickly the platform detects and removes content that depicts or promotes illegal and reckless behaviour on Irish roads, as well as measures taken to prevent harmful videos from being amplified by recommendation algorithms.

TikTok has previously stated that it closely monitors content related to the incident and has taken action against accounts violating its community guidelines regarding dangerous activities.