EU Accuses Meta of Child Protection Failures

The European Union has issued preliminary findings stating that Meta Platforms is failing to prevent children under 13 from using its social media platforms, Meta Platforms and Meta Platforms — Instagram. This non-compliance with digital content rules could expose Meta Platforms to a substantial fine, potentially up to six percent of its total worldwide annual turnover. The European Union's investigation, initiated in May 2024 under the Digital Services Act, found that Meta Platforms has ineffective measures to enforce its own age restrictions, allowing children to easily create accounts with false birth dates and providing an ineffective reporting tool for underage users. Meta Platforms has disagreed with these findings, asserting that measures are in place to detect and remove underage accounts. This action is part of a broader effort by the European Union to enhance online child protection, which also includes warnings to ByteDance — TikTok Shop and investigations into other platforms like Snap Inc. and Pornhub.