The EU Commission announced that it had found preliminary findings that Meta violated the Digital Services Act (DSA) on the grounds that it could not prevent children under the age of 13 from using Instagram and Facebook.
In the statement, it was stated that although the minimum age limit for safe access to Instagram and Facebook is 13 in Meta’s own terms of use, the measures taken by the company to enforce these restrictions were not effective.
In the statement, it was pointed out that Meta’s measures did not sufficiently prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing the services, and it was noted that those who had access to the platforms were not quickly identified and removed.
In the statement, it was stated that children under the age of 13 can enter an incorrect date of birth, that there is no effective system to check the accuracy of the declared date of birth, and that approximately 10-12 percent of children under the age of 13 across the Union access Instagram or Facebook.
Meanwhile, if the preliminary findings of the EU Commission are confirmed, companies will be fined and orders to comply with the rules will be issued.
Within the scope of the EU’s technology rules, large companies and digital platforms operating in Europe must comply with the rules.
The EU can impose fines of up to 6 percent of their global turnover on digital platforms that violate the rules.
In case of repeated violations, the activities of the digital platforms in question may be terminated in the EU.
