Children’s rights only serve their purpose in as far as they are recognised as rights by those who can exercise them. This study examined a sample of Irish adults’ (predominantly students; n=83) perceptions of children’s participation and protection rights across two age groups of children (seven- and 14-year-olds). Participants completed the Perceptions of Children’s Rights Questionnaires and likelihood of reporting child abuse online. A withingroups four-factor ANOVA examined differences between the perceptions participation and protection rights across the two age categories. Participants endorsed protection rights more than participation rights for both age groups and reported a higher endorsement of protection rights and a lower endorsement of participation rights for seven-year-olds compared with 14- year-olds. Participants were more likely to report the abuse of a seven-year-old compared with a 14-year-old, and participants’ endorsement of protection rights significantly predicted likelihood of re- porting abuse. These findings have implications for how children’s rights are viewed in Irish society and how these rights may be enacted.