The EU threatens to fine Instagram and Facebook for allowing access to under-13s

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 cannot access them. Thus, the community executive considers that the American technology company may be violating the European Union's digital services law.

"Although Meta's own terms and conditions establish the minimum age for safe access to Instagram and Facebook at 13 years old, the measures that the company has implemented to enforce these restrictions do not seem effective," says the statement issued by the European Commission. In this way, Brussels concludes that the measures applied by Meta "do not adequately prevent minors under 13 years of age from accessing its services, nor do they identify and remove them quickly 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 years of age has opened an account on these two social networks or uses them are also "not effective". "Even when a minor under 13 years of age is reported for being under the minimum age, there is often no adequate follow-up, and the reported minor may continue to use the service without any verification," adds the community executive.

Brussels also criticizes that Meta downplays 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 years of age use these two social networks. Furthermore, the European Commission points out that Meta "seems to have ignored the available scientific evidence" indicating that younger children are more vulnerable to the potential harms caused by services like Facebook and Instagram.

However, the conclusions published this Wednesday by the European Commission are not final. Brussels will investigate the case further and, if Meta wishes, will coordinate with social networks to implement the necessary measures to protect minors under 13 years of age and comply with European regulations. However, should the US technology company refuse to cooperate with the EU authorities and continue to infringe EU regulations, Brussels can impose a fine of up to 6% of its worldwide turnover.