The European Union accused Meta of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, violating the bloc's digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors. According to multiple reports, the EU's executive branch said Meta lacks effective measures to prevent children younger than 13 from signing up and does not adequately identify or remove underage accounts.
Key Takeaways
The European Union accused Meta of failing to prevent underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram. The EU claims Meta lacks effective measures to stop children under 13 from signing up or using the platforms. According to multiple reports, Meta disputes these findings, stating it has measures in place to detect and remove underage accounts and plans to roll out additional measures soon. - European Commission finds Meta in breach of Digital Services Act for failing to prevent under-13s from accessing Facebook and Instagram - EU investigation reveals inadequate age verification tools on Meta platforms - Meta disagrees with preliminary findings, citing industry-wide challenges in verifying user ages
The investigation found that Instagram and Facebook are doing very little to prevent children from accessing their services despite terms indicating they are not intended for minors under 13. The EU's Digital Services Act requires tech companies operating in the bloc to clean up online platforms and protect internet users, including implementing measures to enforce age restrictions.
Meta disagreed with the decision, stating it has measures in place to detect and remove accounts for anyone younger than 13. According to CNBC, a Meta spokesperson said understanding user age is an industry-wide challenge requiring an industry-wide solution. The company plans to share additional measures next week and will continue engaging constructively with the European Commission.
Brussels is targeting Meta under the Digital Services Act, which can result in hefty fines worth up to 6% of a company's worldwide annual revenue if violations are confirmed. According to The Guardian, governments across Europe are considering banning social media for children amid rising concerns over big tech's impact on young users.
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