{"text":[[{"start":7.55,"text":"The EU has moved closer to issuing a fine against Meta, after it found that the social media platform failed to prevent minors under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook."}],[{"start":18.25,"text":"The announcement on Wednesday comes almost two years after the European Commission launched its investigation into Meta under the bloc’s Digital Services Act, which polices content online. If the provisional conclusions are confirmed, the US-based social media platform could be fined up to 6 per cent of its global turnover."}],[{"start":39.75,"text":"Meta only allows children to access their Instagram and Facebook platforms from the age of 13. But Brussels argues Meta’s measures to enforce the minimum age are not effective and do not do enough to prevent minors under 13 years from accessing their services. "}],[{"start":56.6,"text":"The Commission has also found the platform does not take enough action to remove users who have already gained access but are identified as younger than 13."}],[{"start":67,"text":"“Instagram and Facebook are doing very little to prevent children below this age from accessing their services,” said Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s technology chief."}],[{"start":76.45,"text":"“The DSA requires platforms to enforce their own rules: terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users — including children,” she added."}],[{"start":87.55,"text":"Meta said: “We’re clear that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age."}],[{"start":98.89999999999999,"text":"“We continue to invest in technologies to find and remove underage users and will have more to share next week about additional measures rolling out soon.”"}],[{"start":109.24999999999999,"text":"The findings come as the bloc continues several investigations into social media platforms, including the Chinese-owned TikTok for its addictive design features."}],[{"start":119.54999999999998,"text":"It also comes amid a larger debate about protecting minors online, as Brussels steps up its enforcement approach with platforms that it feels are not doing enough on their own to assess and manage risks. The EU has developed an age verification app so that users can verify their age without disclosing personal information to platforms. "}],[{"start":138.6,"text":"The Commission is also debating a broader social media ban for children, even as doubts persist over how it would be implemented. France has been pushing both the Commission and other European countries to consider a social media ban for children under the age of 15 or 16. "}],[{"start":156.04999999999998,"text":"Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said this month that the bloc is “holding online platforms accountable that do not protect enough our kids. The new age verification solution and the enforcement of our rules go hand in hand.”"}],[{"start":169.79999999999998,"text":"Donald Trump’s US government has fiercely pushed back against the enforcement of the DSA, arguing the bloc is going too far in policing online content. "}],[{"start":179.45,"text":"When Brussels fined Elon Musk’s X €120mn for breaking the bloc’s digital transparency rules last year, US secretary of state Marco Rubio called the fine “an attack on all American tech platforms and the American people by foreign governments”."}],[{"start":202.84999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777456329_5165.mp3"}