Khaberni - Regulatory bodies in the European Union stated on Wednesday that Meta's Facebook and Instagram platforms are accused of violating the European Union's historical technological rules, indicating the necessity of more efforts to prevent children under the age of 13 from using them.
The charges were made under the Digital Services Act, which requires large technology companies to intensify their efforts to combat illegal and harmful content on their platforms, following an investigation that lasted two years conducted by the European Commission.
The European Union's technological law enforcement body stated that Meta is not making sufficient efforts to enforce the restrictions on the use of Facebook and Instagram by children under the age of 13, stressing that the measures taken to verify the ages of users and stop accounts of minors when they reach the services are inadequate.
It was added that between 10% and 12% of children under the age of 13 in Europe use Facebook and Instagram.
Henna Virkonnen, the European Union's Commissioner for Technology Affairs, said in a statement: "Our initial results show that Instagram and Facebook only make a limited effort to prevent children under this age from accessing their services."
She added: "Terms and conditions should not just be written text but must be turned into actual actions to protect users, including children."
The Commission confirmed that the platforms need to change their approach to risk assessment and enhance measures aimed at preventing minors from accessing their services, detecting ineligible accounts and closing them.
Meta can respond to these accusations and take corrective actions before the final decision issued by the Commission. Violations of the Digital Services Act could lead to fines of up to 6% of the total annual global sales of the offending companies.
