Brussels, Belgium. EU regulators charged Meta Platforms’ Facebook and Instagram with breaching the Digital Services Act, saying the company must do more to block children under 13 from accessing the networks.
Preliminary findings after two-year investigation
The European Commission said the charges, described as preliminary findings under the Digital Services Act, followed a two-year investigation. The rules require large technology companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms.
Meta said it disagreed with the preliminary findings and can respond to the charges and take measures before the Commission issues a final decision. Breaches of the Digital Services Act can result in fines of up to 6% of a company’s global annual turnover.
EU says Meta’s measures are inadequate
The Commission said Meta did not do enough to enforce restrictions on children under 13 using Facebook and Instagram, and that measures to identify and remove such users were inadequate.
EU regulators said 10% to 12% of children under 13 in Europe used Facebook and Instagram.
“Our preliminary findings show that Instagram and Facebook are doing very little to prevent children below this age from accessing their services,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement. She added that terms and conditions should be the basis for concrete action to protect users, including children.
Meta response and planned measures
Meta said it has measures in place to detect and remove accounts belonging to children under 13 and that it will announce additional measures next week.
“Understanding 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,” a Meta spokesperson said.
Broader concerns about social media and children
The EU move comes amid growing concerns worldwide about the impact of social media on children, businesses and governments, prompting calls for major technology companies to take more proactive and effective measures.
What steps do you think social media platforms should take to better prevent underage users from accessing their services?
