Changes to the vetting system for US student visas have been described by the Taoiseach as excessive.
Mícheál Martin said he did not approve of the move, adding that it would create an atmosphere of fear and anxiety for travelling students.
He said that while he understood the security concerns in the United States, "good intelligence" should be able to identify anyone who wanted to attack a country.
The "comprehensive and thorough" social media vetting system was announced by the US Department of State.
New applicants for F, M and J non-immigrant visas will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on their social media profiles to "public".
In a statement, the US Embassy in Dublin said that applicants will also be required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used in the last five years on the DS-160 form.
It said that omitting this information "could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas".
Appointments for applications will resume soon, according to the embassy, after they were paused at the end of May to assess the process.
"The US Department of State is committed to protecting our nation and our citizens by upholding the highest standards of national security and public safety through our visa process.
"A US visa is a privilege, not a right," it said in the statement.
"We use all available information in our visa screening and vetting to identify visa applicants who are inadmissible to the United States, including those who pose a threat to US national security," it added.
The F visa allows entry to the US as a full-time student at an accredited college, university or other academic institution, or in a language training programme.
The M visa is for vocational and non-academic programmes.
The most well known, the J visa, is for summer work and travel for students, but is also availed of by those involved in professional, academic, and cultural exchange activities.
Social media decision 'bizarre'
The President of Trinity College Students Union said that while they had seen a tightening of restrictions on students in recent months, this is a "complete escalation".
Jennie Maguire said the idea that applicants must have their social media profiles set to public is "absolutely bizarre".
She told RTÉ's Drivetime that this is "a complete attack on all of our personal expression and freedom of expression".
This will disproportionately impact marginalised students, she added.
"We've seen the Trump administration clamp down on trans people - if you are posting in support of any policy, if you yourself are trans," she said.
"I've heard many people who have been under scrutiny at border controls when entering the United States.
"If you are someone from the Middle East or have family in the Middle East or have been to the Middle East and posted about it - this is going to be brought in."
