Brussels investigates Meta for not preventing access to Facebook and Instagram for under-13s

New investigation by the European Commission against Meta. Brussels announced this Wednesday that it has opened proceedings against the technology giant for violating the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) and for failing to prevent minors under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. The Executive points out that the measures adopted by the US company on these platforms to assess users' age "do not appear to be effective", even though Meta's terms and conditions establish 13 years as the minimum age to create a profile on social networks.

Brussels assures that users can lie about their age when creating a new account, without "effective controls to verify the accuracy of the date of birth". In view of this, the Commission has obliged the two social networks to reinforce their measures to "prevent, detect and remove" profiles of minors under 13, as reported by the community executive. Failure to do so could result in Meta facing a fine of up to 6% of its annual turnover.

Furthermore, Meta's tool for reporting the presence of minors under 13 on Facebook and Instagram "is difficult to use and not very effective", as it requires up to 7 clicks to access the reporting form. The European executive also states that "adequate follow-up" is often not carried out after the report, and the minor, who is exposed to "content inappropriate for their age", can continue using the service "without any control".

Data indicates that between 10% and 12% of minors under 13 access Facebook and Instagram. Therefore, Brussels warns that Meta's analysis of the risk posed by social networks is "incomplete and arbitrary" and contradicts "a large amount of evidence" in the European Union.

The Commission's conclusion comes amid a debate on the need to establish a minimum age in the European Union to access social networks. In any case, the objective is to reduce the risks that digital platforms can pose to minors.