The EU threatens to fine Instagram and Facebook for allowing access to minors under 13 years old

BrusselsNew offensive by the European Commission against the Meta group. Brussels announced this Wednesday that it has indications that the social networks Instagram and Facebook "fail" to ensure that minors under thirteen years of age can access them. Thus, the community executive considers that the American technology company may be violating the Digital Services Act of the European Union.

"Although Meta's own terms and conditions establish the minimum age for safely accessing Instagram and Facebook at 13 years old, the measures the company has implemented to enforce these restrictions do not seem to be effective," says the statement issued by the European Commission. In this way, Brussels concludes that Meta's applied measures "do not adequately prevent minors under 13 from accessing its services, nor do they identify and promptly remove them if they have already accessed them".

The European Commission gives the example that a minor under 13 years old can easily create an account and use Instagram and Facebook by entering a false date of birth, and there is "no effective control" to verify that the user's age is real. Furthermore, Brussels considers that the ways to report that a minor under 13 has opened an account on these two social networks or uses them are also "not effective". "Even when a minor under 13 is reported for being under the minimum age, there is often no adequate follow-up, and the reported minor can continue using the service without any checks," adds the community executive.

Brussels also criticizes Meta for downplaying the importance of preventing minors under thirteen from accessing Instagram and Facebook in its reports, and reminds it that there are multiple studies across the European Union indicating that approximately between 10 and 12% of minors under 13 use these two social networks. Furthermore, the European Commission points out that Meta "appears to have ignored available scientific evidence" indicating that younger children are more vulnerable to potential harm caused by services like Facebook and Instagram.

However, the conclusions published this Wednesday by the European Commission are not definitive. Brussels will investigate the case further and, if Meta so wishes, will coordinate with social networks to apply the necessary measures so that they protect minors under 13 years of age and comply with European regulations. However, in the event that the US technology company refuses to cooperate with the community authorities and continues to infringe the European Union's regulation, Brussels can impose a fine of up to 6% of its worldwide turnover.