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The European Union has found that Meta is failing to effectively prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, potentially exposing them to inappropriate content, putting the company at risk of major financial penalties.
The preliminary findings of the European Commission's investigation, conducted under the Digital Services Act (DSA), were announced on Wednesday. The investigation concluded that Meta has not implemented sufficient safeguards to enforce its own minimum age requirement of 13 years. As a result, children are still able to easily create accounts by entering false birth dates, as Meta lacks effective systems to detect and remove underage users.
According to EU regulators, between 10% and 12% of children under 13 in Europe are using the platforms despite the rules. Officials also criticized Meta’s reporting tools for underage users, saying they are difficult to access and ineffective, requiring multiple steps before a report can even be submitted.
EU digital chief, Henna Virkkunen, said that terms and conditions “should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users, including children,” stressing that platforms must take real responsibility for enforcing their own rules.
The Commission also said Meta failed to properly assess the risks of underage access and did not adequately address the potential exposure of children to age-inappropriate or harmful content.
If the findings are confirmed, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover under the Digital Services Act, one of the EU’s strongest digital enforcement laws.
Meta has rejected the allegations, saying Facebook and Instagram are designed for users aged 13 and older and that it uses systems to detect and remove underage accounts. The company said it will continue cooperating with EU regulators.
The case comes amid a broader push in Europe to tighten rules on children’s access to social media. Several EU countries are considering stricter age limits, and the European Commission is also exploring bloc-wide measures, including age verification tools, to better protect minors online.
The investigation into Meta, which began in 2024, is still ongoing and also covers wider concerns about algorithmic design, user wellbeing, and the potentially “addictive” nature of social media platforms.
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