Karen McAuley is Director of Policy for Children and Vulnerable Adults in Coimisiún na Meán, Ireland’s agency for developing and regulating a thriving, diverse, creative, safe, and trusted media landscape. Karen’s portfolio of work includes leading An Coimisiún’s engagement with its Youth Advisory Committee; collaborating with the Data Protection Commission on matters of shared interest relating to children’s safety online; and participating in EU-wide policy developments concerning children’s online safety, including guidelines on the protection of children’s privacy, safety and security further to Article 28 of the Digital Services Act.
Before joining An Coimisiún in 2024, Karen worked in the field of children’s rights for over 20 years, most recently as Head of Policy with Ireland’s Ombudsman for Children’s Office (2017-2023). Her career has included a focus on children’s participation, human rights education, and child rights approaches to developments in law and public policy. Karen holds a BA in English and German from Trinity College Dublin, and an MA in European Literature and a DPhil from the University of Cambridge.