EU says Meta is failing to keep underage users off platforms : NPR
NPR • • general
Key Points:
- The European Union accused Meta of failing to prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, violating the bloc's Digital Services Act which mandates protection for minors on social media platforms.
- The EU found that Meta lacks effective measures to identify and remove underage users and inadequately assesses the risk of exposing children to age-inappropriate content.
- Meta disputes the EU's findings, stating it has systems to detect and remove accounts of users under 13 and plans to introduce additional measures soon.
- The Digital Services Act allows the EU to impose fines up to 6% of a company's global annual revenue for violations, and Meta now has the opportunity to respond before a final decision is made.
- EU officials emphasize that platforms must actively enforce their age restrictions rather than merely stating them in terms and conditions, highlighting Meta's insufficient action despite its own age policies.
