EU Flags Meta Over Underage Access on Instagram, Facebook
In a statement released on Wednesday, the commission said Meta failed to take sufficient steps to “diligently identify, assess, and mitigate” risks associated with minors using its platforms, despite internal rules setting the minimum user age at 13.
EU regulators argued that existing protections were not effective in practice. They noted that children were still able to bypass age restrictions simply by entering false birth dates, with no strong verification systems in place to stop them.
The commission also raised concerns about Meta’s reporting mechanisms, describing them as “difficult to use” and saying they did not guarantee proper follow-up once underage accounts were reported.
In addition, it said Meta’s risk evaluation process was “incomplete and arbitrary,” claiming the company underestimated the scale of underage usage even though estimates suggest that around 10–12% of children under 13 in the EU still access Instagram or Facebook.
According to the commission, Meta is required to revise how it assesses risks and to strengthen its systems for preventing, detecting, and removing underage users. It stressed the need to ensure a “high level of privacy, safety and security” for minors.
Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the findings and suggest corrective measures. If the breach is confirmed, the Commission could move forward with a non-compliance decision that may include fines of up to 6% of the company’s global annual revenue.
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