European Union regulators on Wednesday formally charged Meta with inadequately safeguarding children on its social media platforms, alleging the tech giant allows users under age 13 to access Facebook and Instagram despite company policies prohibiting such accounts.
According to the European Commission, Meta Platforms has insufficient safeguards to block children under 13 from creating accounts and lacks proper systems to identify and delete underage profiles once they’re established.
Both Facebook and Instagram require users to be at least 13 years old to create accounts on their platforms.
Beyond account creation issues, EU officials said Meta fails to properly evaluate risks that could expose children under 13 to content and experiences unsuitable for their age group on both social networks.
The social media company pushed back against the allegations, stating it maintains systems designed to identify and eliminate accounts belonging to users under 13.
“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,” Meta said in a statement, noting it would announce additional protective measures next week.
European officials are using the Digital Services Act to pursue the case against Meta — comprehensive legislation requiring technology companies operating across the 27-member union to better monitor their platforms and safeguard users online.
Meta can now present its defense regarding these preliminary conclusions before regulators issue their final ruling. Companies found in violation face substantial penalties reaching 6% of their total global annual revenue.
European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen said the investigation that began in 2024 determined Instagram and Facebook “are doing very little” to block children’s access, even though their own policies state “their services are not intended for minors under 13.”
“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,” Virkkunen stated.
