Are Parents Passing the Buck to Social Media? Episode 716

On today’s episode of The Niall Boylan Podcast, Niall is joined by restaurateur and commentator Paul Treyvaud to discuss a major ruling that could have huge implications for social media and parental responsibility.

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has been found in breach of EU digital rules for failing to properly prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing its platforms. Under the regulations, companies are required to take stronger steps to protect minors online, and Meta could now face fines of up to 6% of its global turnover, potentially running into billions.

The case centres on whether Meta has done enough to enforce age restrictions, or whether, as the company argues, it is simply impossible to stop children using false details to get online.

So where does the responsibility lie?

Should tech giants be expected to police the internet and verify every user’s age, or is that asking the impossible?
Or should the focus be on parents taking responsibility for what their children are doing online?

Niall and Paul Treyvaud explore whether this is a failure of big tech… or a reflection of how difficult it is to control access in a digital world where children are often more tech-savvy than adults.

📞 Niall opens the phone lines:

If a child sneaks into an over-18s film, who’s to blame, the filmmaker, the cinema, or the parents?
Is it fair to hit companies with massive fines for something they can’t fully control?
Or should they be doing far more to protect children online?

A lively and thought-provoking debate about accountability, technology, and whether we’re expecting too much from companies… or too little from ourselves.