The European Commission has found Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, in breach of EU law for failing to protect children on its platforms. This marks the first time a major social media company has been charged under the Digital Services Act (DSA) for inadequate child safety measures.
According to the Commission, Meta failed to prevent underage users from accessing its services, a requirement that had previously been enforced mainly against adult content websites. The investigation revealed that Meta's age verification systems were insufficient, allowing children below the minimum age to create accounts and access potentially harmful content.
This ruling could set a precedent for stricter enforcement of the DSA, which requires tech companies to assess and mitigate systemic risks, including risks to minors. Meta now faces potential fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover if it does not comply with the order to implement robust age verification and parental controls.
The decision has been hailed by child safety advocates as a significant step toward holding social media platforms accountable for protecting young users online.