EU rules Meta is not preventing underage access to platforms
The European Commission has determined that Meta is not adequately enforcing age restrictions on Facebook and Instagram. This finding follows a preliminary investigation into the company's compliance with EU regulations. (sources: theverge, cnbc, washingtonpost, dw, nytimes)
The European Commission has ruled that Meta is violating the Digital Services Act by allowing children under 13 to access Facebook and Instagram. The investigation revealed that children can easily create accounts by providing false birth dates.
- The European Commission issued a preliminary decision regarding Meta's compliance with the Digital Services Act.
- The investigation found that children can bypass age restrictions on Facebook and Instagram.
- Meta has been informed of the ruling and may need to implement changes to its age verification processes.
Why it matters
This ruling highlights ongoing concerns about online safety and the protection of minors in digital spaces.
↓ Why this is on ModernAction
2 bills on this issue are moving right now — and the most active one is Kids Online Safety Act.
S1748 · 119th Congress
Kids Online Safety Act
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What S1748 actually does
This story is about the European Commission finding that Meta is not adequately preventing underage access to Facebook and Instagram. This bill would require covered online platforms to add safety-by-design protections and tools to prevent and mitigate harm to users under 17.
If passed, it would:
- Require platforms to adopt safety-by-design for under-17s • Mandate data protections and parental controls for minors.
1 other bill moving on this issue
Take action on any of them individually.
This story is about the EU accusing Meta of allowing children under 13 easy access to Facebook and Instagram and raising age verification concerns. This bill would expand federal online privacy rules to cover ages 13–16 and ban targeted ads based on minors' data.
If passed, it would
- Expand privacy rules to cover ages 13–16 • Ban targeted advertising to minors based on personal data.
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