Meta Supports EU Age of Digital Adulthood for Social Media Use

Meta has expressed support for establishing a Digital Majority Age across EU member states that would set a minimum age for teens to use social media without parental permission.

Last week, Meta, the parent company behind Facebook and Instagram, released a statement backing the idea of a Digital Majority Age for teenagers across the EU.

France, Spain, and Greece have recently proposed setting a “digital majority” age — a minimum age at which children could use social media without needing parental approval. The proposal would require parental consent for minors under this age to access social media platforms.

Currently, the proposed Digital Majority Age would likely be set at 15, with a possibility of raising it to 16 after further discussion. Most social media platforms set the minimum age at 13, but rules vary and age checks are often weak.

“At Meta, ensuring the safety of young people is a top priority, and we’ve spent over a decade building our products for teens with this in mind. Across the industry, there is growing recognition that teens deserve consistent protection across all the different digital platforms they use,” the company writes in a statement.

“That’s why we support proposals to establish a common Digital Majority Age across EU member states, whereby parents need to approve their younger teens’ access to digital services, including social media.”

The EU member states are also suggesting adding age checks and parental controls on devices connected to the internet.

In its statement, Meta says it supports proposals where parents must approve younger teens’ access to digital services. However, the company makes clear that its support for an EU-wide digital majority age does not mean it agrees with government-ordered social media bans.

“To be clear, our support for an EU-wide Digital Majority Age is not an endorsement of government mandated social media bans,” Meta writes. “Bans take away parental authority, focus narrowly on one type of online service among the nearly two million apps available to teens, and overlook how teens use social media to connect with the world around them, grow, and learn.

“Bans also fail to acknowledge the differences that exist between different services and varying levels of protections they offer.”

Last year, Australia passed a world-first bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from using social media. Starting this December, platforms such as Meta, Snapchat, and TikTok could face fines exceeding $49.5 million if they don’t take what the law describes as “reasonable steps” to prevent teens from accessing their services.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.