Europe

EU: Meta Broke Child Safety Rules on Instagram, Facebook

Is Meta failing to protect children on Instagram and Facebook or is it leading the industry in teen safety?

Published APR 30

EU: Meta Broke Child Safety Rules on Instagram, Facebook

Story

Image credit: Omar Marques/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images

The Facts

The European Commission issued preliminary findings on Wednesday, concluding that Meta violated the EU's Digital Services Act by failing to prevent children under 13 from accessing Instagram and Facebook, following a nearly two-year investigation launched in May 2024.
European Commission
The Epoch Times
CNBC
The Commission reported that minors could create accounts by entering a false birth date, with no verification controls in place. Meta's reporting tool for underage users was also found to take up to seven clicks to access and often triggers no follow-up action.
European Commission
In addition, the Commission judged Meta's risk assessments to be incomplete and contrary to "large bodies of evidence" from across the EU that between 10-12% of children under 13 access Instagram or Facebook.
European Commission
The Commission also added that Meta "seems to have disregarded" research that minors are more exposed to the risks caused by its platforms, which Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen defined as cyberbullying, grooming and "age-inappropriate" content.
European Commission
European Commission
Meta has disputed the findings, arguing that Instagram and Facebook "are intended for people aged 13 and older" and that it has "measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age," describing age verification as "an industry-wide challenge."
guardian
Financial Times
Under the Digital Services Act, if the Commission's preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its total worldwide annual turnover, with the tech giant reporting global revenue of nearly $201 billion in 2025.
EUR-Lex
Meta

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

The evidence clearly shows that Meta is failing minors with its lacklustre protections, which range from non-existent age verification to an unwieldy and ineffective reporting tool. Given these findings, it's the European Commission's duty to hold Meta accountable for its lax enforcement practices, which directly violate the EU's Digital Services Act.

European Commission

Narrative B

Contrary to the Commission's claims, Meta has built one of the most robust safety systems for teens and minors in the industry, equipped with state-of-the-art AI monitoring systems to detect suspected underage users and close their accounts. These safeguards demonstrate the seriousness with which Meta takes its commitment to protect young people online.