EU Struggles to Enforce Restrictions on Children’s Social Media Usage

The EU Takes Action Against Meta for Allowing Minors Access to Facebook and Instagram

In a recent ruling, the European Commission announced that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has failed to implement sufficient measures to prevent users under the age of 13 from accessing its platforms. The Commission’s almost two-year investigation revealed that minors can easily bypass age restrictions by providing false information when signing up for accounts. This loophole allows children to declare themselves as over 13 without proper verification.

EU tech policy leader Henna Virkkunen expressed concerns about Meta’s lack of action to prevent underage users from using Facebook and Instagram. Despite the platforms’ terms and conditions stating that they are not intended for children under 13, the Commission found that the existing tools for reporting underage users are ineffective and difficult to use.

The Commission also criticized Meta’s risk assessment for protecting minors, describing it as incomplete and arbitrary. Evidence suggests that a significant number of children under 13 are accessing Facebook and Instagram, raising concerns about potential harm caused by these platforms.

Meta has been given the opportunity to address these breaches by updating its risk assessment methodology and implementing better age verification tools. Failure to comply could result in fines of up to six percent of Meta’s global annual turnover, amounting to as much as $12 billion.

In response to the EU’s findings, Meta stated that it is committed to enforcing age restrictions on its platforms and is continuously investing in technologies to detect and remove underage users. The company plans to introduce additional measures to address these concerns in the near future.