Brussels: The European Commission said Wednesday it had preliminarily found Meta Platforms in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for failing to prevent children aged under 13 from accessing Instagram and Facebook.

According to Anadolu Agency, the commission stated that Meta had not taken sufficient measures to 'diligently identify, assess, and mitigate' the risks linked to minors using its platforms, despite its own rules setting 13 as the minimum age. The EU executive highlighted that existing safeguards were ineffective, allowing children to bypass age restrictions by entering false birth dates without proper verification.

The commission also criticized Meta's reporting tools, describing them as 'difficult to use' and inadequate in ensuring follow-up when underage users were flagged. It further stated that Meta's risk assessment was 'incomplete and arbitrary,' underestimating the scale of the issue despite evidence suggesting that around 10-12% of children under 13 in the EU access Instagram or Facebook.

The commission emphasized that Meta must revise its risk assessment methodology and strengthen measures to prevent, detect, and remove underage users, ensuring a 'high level of privacy, safety, and security' for minors. Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings and propose remedies. If confirmed, the commission may issue a non-compliance decision and impose fines of up to 6% of the company's global annual turnover.

These findings are part of an ongoing investigation that was launched in May 2024 and do not prejudge the final outcome.