Meta Risks Being Fined by EU Over Flawed Instagram Privacy Settings for Children

Social media giant Meta has reportedly been warned by the European Union to quickly update its children’s data privacy settings on Instagram, or risk being fined.

The warning is coming after it was discovered that Instagram’s porous privacy settings for children, allow a network of accounts to be created on the app, which is set up to connect pedophiles to sellers of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on the social networking platform.

Further research discovered that Meta-owned photo-sharing sites are the most important platform for sellers of self-generated child sexual abuse material, pointing to Instagram’s recommendation algorithms as a key reason for the platform’s effectiveness in advertising such appalling children materials.

Instagram is also reported to connect pedophiles and guide them to content sellers via recommendation systems that excel at linking those who share niche interests.

Speaking on the issue, European Union commissioner Thierry Breton via a tweet on Twitter called out Meta for its child protection policy which he describes as ineffective, noting that failure of the platform to beef up its privacy violations, will attract heavy sanctions.

The commissioner wrote, “Meta’s voluntary code on child protection seems not to work. Mark Zuckerberg must now explain and take immediate action. I will discuss him at Meta’s HQ in Menlo Park on 23 June. After 25 August, under DSA Meta has to demonstrate measures to us or face heavy sanctions”.

It is understood that fines for non-compliance with the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which lays out rules for how platforms must tackle illegal content, can attract up to 6% global annual turnover.

Investors King understands that last month, to raise awareness of Instagram’s family tools, Meta launched a new youth and wellbeing ad campaign in the UK, France, and Belgium. The platform developed more than 30 tools to support families, including supervision tools that help parents and teens work together to manage teens’ time on its apps.

Announcing the awareness, Marketing Director for Europe at Meta Ciara Farren wrote,

“We want to help keep young people safer online, which includes supporting parents and guardians to be more involved in their teens’ experiences.” 

Meta’s supervision tools are in addition to other features and protections it already has in place, including helping teens have safer and more private experiences.