European Union regulators stated on Wednesday that Facebook and Instagram, owned by U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms, Inc., have been charged with violating the EU's Digital Services Act and must implement stronger measures to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing these social networks.
The EU Digital Services Act mandates that large technology companies take enhanced action to combat illegal and harmful content on their platforms. The charges follow a two-year investigation conducted by the European Commission.
The EU's technology regulatory body indicated that Meta has not sufficiently enforced its age restrictions for users under 13 on Facebook and Instagram, and has also fallen short in identifying and removing underage users accessing these services.
According to the agency, between 10% and 12% of children under 13 in Europe continue to use Facebook and Instagram.
Hanna Virkkunen, the EU's technology affairs lead, stated in a release, "Our preliminary findings indicate that Instagram and Facebook have done very little to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing their services."
The European Commission emphasized that both platforms must revise their risk assessment methodologies and strengthen measures to prevent, detect, and remove underage usage of their services.
Meta has the opportunity to respond to the charges and take corrective steps before the European Commission reaches a final decision. Violations of the Digital Services Act may result in fines of up to 6% of a company's global annual revenue.
Comments