EU to Intensify Probe into Meta: "Failure to Block Children's Access to Services"

Big Tech Meta Logo. Photo by AFP Yonhap News

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The European Union (EU) has announced plans to intensify its investigation into Meta, stating that the company violated the EU Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to adequately prevent children under the age of 13 from using its social networking services (SNS).

Henna Virkkunen, Vice President of the EU Commission, said on April 29 (local time), "Meta's own terms of service specify that its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, are not intended for children under 13." She added, "Preliminary investigations have found that Instagram and Facebook have taken little action to block access to these services for children below this age."

The EU Commission pointed out that while the platforms require users to enter their date of birth, there is no system in place to identify minors and prevent their use.

In response to the EU's preliminary findings, Meta can propose measures for improvement. If further investigations confirm that Meta has violated the DSA, the EU may impose a fine of up to 6% of Meta's total annual global revenue.

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