EU says Meta needs to do more to keep under-13s off Instagram and Facebook
politico.eu • • business
Key Points:
- The European Commission has warned Meta that it is not doing enough to prevent children under 13 from accessing Instagram and Facebook, urging changes to the platforms' design to better protect young users.
- This follows a similar warning to TikTok earlier this year, as the EU intensifies efforts to safeguard children online under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
- If found in breach of the DSA, Meta could face fines of up to 6 percent of its annual global revenue, but the company has the opportunity to respond and propose remedies.
- The Commission highlighted that 10-12 percent of children under 13 are active on Meta’s platforms, citing evidence that current measures are insufficient to block underage users.
- The EU is developing an app to help verify users' ages, which will be recommended to member states, signaling increased regulatory pressure on social media companies to implement robust age verification systems.
