EU Says Meta May Have Breached Child Safety Rules Under Digital Services Act
The Commission said its preliminary findings suggest that Meta has not taken adequate steps to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing Instagram and Facebook, despite platform rules that set 13 as the minimum age requirement.
It further stated that the company did not sufficiently “diligently identify, assess, and mitigate” risks associated with underage users on its services. Regulators argued that existing safeguards were not effective, noting that age restrictions could be easily bypassed by entering false birth dates without robust verification systems.
The Commission also raised concerns about reporting mechanisms on the platforms, describing them as difficult to use and lacking effective follow-up procedures when underage accounts are identified.
In addition, the preliminary assessment criticized Meta’s internal risk evaluation, describing it as incomplete and insufficient in addressing the scale of the issue. According to figures cited by the Commission, a notable proportion of children under 13 in the EU are believed to still access these platforms.
As part of its conclusions, the EU executive said Meta must improve its risk assessment methods and strengthen systems to prevent, detect, and remove underage users while ensuring higher standards of privacy and safety for minors.
Meta has the opportunity to respond to the findings and propose corrective measures. If the allegations are ultimately confirmed, the company could face significant penalties, including fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
The case remains part of an ongoing investigation launched in 2024, and the Commission stressed that the current findings are preliminary and do not represent a final decision.
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