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The European Union accused Meta on Wednesday of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, in violation of the bloc\u2019s tough digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors.<\/p>\n
The EU\u2019s executive branch said Meta Platforms lacked effective measures to prevent children younger than 13 from signing up, and that it was not doing enough to identify and remove children after they had opened accounts.<\/p>\n
Meta\u2019s own minimum age to open an account on Facebook or Instagram is 13.<\/p>\n
The problem is not just that children are getting access. The European Commission said Meta is also inadequately assessing the risk of children younger than 13 being exposed to \u201cage-inappropriate experiences\u201d on the platforms.<\/p>\n
Meta disagreed with the decision, saying that it has measures in place to detect and remove accounts for anyone younger than 13.<\/p>\n
\u201cUnderstanding age is an industry-wide challenge, which requires an industry-wide solution, and we will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission on this important issue,\u201d the company said in a statement, adding it will have more to share next week about additional measures it plans to roll out soon.<\/p>\n
Brussels is targeting the Meta with the Digital Services Act, a sweeping set of regulations that requires tech companies operating in the 27-nation bloc to do more to clean up online platforms and protect internet users.<\/p>\n
Meta now has the chance to respond to the preliminary findings, before the commission issues its final decision. Violations can result in hefty fines worth up to 6% of a company\u2019s worldwide annual revenue.<\/p>\n
Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the European Commission, said the bloc\u2019s investigation launched in 2024 found that Instagram and Facebook \u201care doing very little\u201d to prevent children from getting access despite their own terms and conditions indicating \u201ctheir services are not intended for minors under 13.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe DSA requires platforms to enforce their own rules: terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users \u2013 including children,\u201d she said in a statement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n