EU accuses Meta of failing to protect children online

The European Union has accused Instagram and Facebook of failing to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing their services.

The European Commission announced preliminary findings indicating that Meta Platforms may be violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) because it has not been able to block under-13 users from using Instagram and Facebook, CE Report quotes Anadolu Agency.

The statement noted that although Meta’s terms of service set the minimum age at 13 for safe access to Instagram and Facebook, the measures taken by the company to enforce this restriction are not effective.

It also pointed out that Meta’s safeguards do not sufficiently prevent children under 13 from accessing the services, and those who do gain access are not quickly detected and removed.

According to the statement, children under 13 can easily enter false birth dates, and there is no effective system to verify the accuracy of the declared age. Across the EU, around 10–12% of children under 13 are estimated to use Instagram or Facebook.

If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, the company could face fines and be ordered to comply with the rules.

Under EU technology regulations, large companies and digital platforms operating in Europe must follow these rules. The EU can impose fines of up to 6% of global annual turnover on platforms that violate them.

In cases of repeated violations, such digital platforms could even be banned from operating within the EU.

Photo: META