The European Union accused Meta on Wednesday of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, in violation of the bloc's tough digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors, raising concerns about the exposure of vulnerable children to age-inappropriate content and online risks.
The EU's executive branch said Meta Platforms lacked effective measures to prevent children younger than 13 from signing up, and that it was not doing enough to identify and remove children after they had opened accounts. Meta's own minimum age to open an account on Facebook or Instagram is 13.
Inadequate Risk Assessment
The European Commission said Meta is also inadequately assessing the risk of children younger than 13 being exposed to age-inappropriate experiences on the platforms. Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice president at the European Commission, said the bloc's investigation launched 2 years ago found that Instagram and Facebook "are doing very little" to prevent children from getting access despite their own terms and conditions indicating "their services are not intended for minors under 13."
Virkkunen said, "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."
Company Response and Regulatory Framework
Meta disagreed with the decision, saying that it has measures in place to detect and remove accounts for anyone younger than 13. The company said, "Understanding age is an industry-wide challenge, which requires an industry-wide solution, and we will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission on this important issue," adding it will have more to share next week about additional measures it plans to roll out soon.
Brussels is targeting Meta with the Digital Services Act, a sweeping set of regulations that requires tech companies operating in the 27-nation bloc to do more to clean up online platforms and protect internet users. Meta now has the chance to respond to the preliminary findings, before the commission issues its final decision. Violations can result in hefty fines worth up to 6% of a company's worldwide annual revenue.
Why This Matters:
The EU's findings highlight a critical gap between corporate policies and their enforcement when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable internet users—children under 13 who lack the developmental capacity to navigate social media's risks. Despite Meta's own stated age requirements, the failure to effectively prevent underage access means children are potentially exposed to harmful content, predatory behavior, and psychological risks documented in numerous studies. The Digital Services Act represents an attempt by democratic institutions to impose accountability on powerful tech platforms whose business models have historically prioritized growth over user protection. The potential fines of up to 6% of global revenue signal that regulators are willing to use economic leverage to compel compliance where voluntary measures have proven insufficient. This case tests whether public regulatory frameworks can effectively require corporations to enforce their own stated protections for children, setting a precedent for how democratic societies balance innovation with the duty to safeguard minors in digital spaces.