Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, has expressed support for a proposal to establish a "digital age of majority" in all European Union member states. Under the new rules, people under a certain age must obtain the consent of a parent or guardian before creating an account on social media and other online services, RTE reports.
The initiative, promoted by France, Spain and Greece, envisages the introduction of a pan-European threshold for digital maturity. In addition, it proposes the introduction of mandatory age verification and parental control systems on all devices with internet access.
Meta called this approach an "effective solution" to ensure safe and age-appropriate internet use for teenagers. In an official statement, the company emphasized that the new requirements should cover not only social networks, but also online games, streaming services, instant messengers and web browsers.
Tara Hopkins, Instagram's global director of public policy, emphasized that Meta favors age verification at the app ecosystem level, meaning at the app store or operating system level. "I think it makes much more sense that this is done at the ecosystem, app store, operating system level," she explained.
Meta also clarified that supporting the "age of digital adulthood" does not mean endorsing a ban on children using social media. "Government mandated social media bans take away parental authority and focus narrowly on one type of online service," the company said.