Meta’s Measures to Protect Under-13 Users are Inadequate, EU Probe Shows
In Focus
- The EU started probing Facebook and Instagram in 2024
- The probe shows that Meta systems violate the Digital Services Act
- Meta has disagreed with the EU’s preliminary findings
The European Commission has accused Meta of failing to keep under-13 users off Instagram and Facebook. Preliminary findings from the EU’s Meta investigation show that flaws in the company’s systems violate the Digital Services Act (DSA). The findings raise fresh concerns about how the company protects younger users online. The European Commission started probing Meta in 2024.
What Shortcomings Did the EU Flag in the Meta Probe?
Following the EU’s scrutiny into Facebook and Instagram, the Commission said the social media giant had failed to “diligently identify, assess and mitigate the risks of minors under 13 years old accessing their services“.
In its terms and conditions, Meta sets 13 years as the minimum age for accessing Facebook and Instagram. However, the EU noted that the company does not effectively enforce these age restrictions. As a result, the regulator deemed the restrictions insufficient to keep children below the age of 13 from accessing the platform.
The investigation found that Meta’s age restriction measures do not promptly remove under-13 users when they access its platforms. Meta, which faced an underage exploitation trial earlier this year, does not provide effective controls to verify the accuracy of self-declared birth dates. The regulator also found the company’s tool for reporting underage users to be “difficult to use” and ineffective.
According to the Commission, the tool required “up to seven clicks just to access the reporting form, which is not automatically pre-filled with the user’s information“. Even after reporting underage users, the regulator found that Meta lacked proper mechanisms for following up on the reports, leaving minors to continue using its services without checks.
The EU Demands Stronger Age-Verification Measures
Like regulators in the U.K., the EU wants Meta to take stronger age-verification measures to keep under-13 users off its social media platforms. The regulator also wants Meta to review its risk assessment framework to adequately flag the threats facing underage users.
“Instagram and Facebook need to strengthen their measures to prevent, detect and remove minors under the age of 13 from their service. Meta must effectively counter and mitigate risks that minors under the age of 13 could experience on the platforms, which must ensure a high level of privacy, safety and security for minors,” The Commission noted as cited by RTE.
Meta has disagreed with the EU’s preliminary findings. The social media giant said it already had in place measures for flagging and removing underage accounts from its platforms.
“We continue to invest in technologies to find and remove underage users and will have more to share next week about additional measures rolling out soon,” A Meta Spokesperson stated.
What Next for Meta?
Following the EU’s initial findings on Meta’s DSA violations, the social media giant will review the investigation files and provide a written response. The DSA allows tech companies to take measures to address breaches identified by regulators. However, if the European Commission confirms the cases against Meta, it could issue a non-compliance decision. Such a decision could see the EU fine Meta up to 6% of its global turnover.
