European Commission Finds Meta Violated EU's Child Safety Protections

The European Commission has determined that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta breached EU law by failing to adequately prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, adding to mounting pressure on the company over its child safety practices.

CNBC reports that European regulators announced Wednesday that preliminary investigations concluded Meta violated the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) over claims the minimum age requirement of 13 for its major social platforms is not properly enforced. The finding represents a significant regulatory challenge for the technology giant as it faces increasing scrutiny worldwide regarding how it protects young users.

According to the Commission’s findings, children can easily bypass age restrictions by entering false birth dates during account creation, with no verification systems in place to confirm their actual age. The regulatory body also identified serious flaws in Meta’s processes for removing underage users once they are discovered on the platforms.

The reporting mechanism designed for flagging minor accounts presents particular concerns. The Commission described this tool as difficult to access, requiring users to navigate through up to seven clicks to reach the reporting form. More troubling, even when an underage account is successfully reported, the Commission found that appropriate follow-up actions and removal measures are frequently lacking.

In its official announcement, the Commission stated that Instagram and Facebook must revise their risk assessment methodology to properly evaluate what dangers arise on these platforms within the EU and how those risks actually manifest for young users.

A Meta spokesperson responded to the preliminary findings, telling CNBC: “We disagree with these preliminary findings. We’re clear that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age.”

The spokesperson added: “We continue to invest in technologies to find and remove underage users and will have more to share next week about additional measures rolling out soon. 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 now has the opportunity to review the Commission’s preliminary findings and submit a written response. Should the final investigation confirm these initial conclusions, the company faces substantial financial penalties. Under the Digital Services Act, Meta could be fined up to six percent of its total worldwide annual revenue.

The European Commission’s action also comes amid a broader global movement toward stricter age restrictions on social media access. Australia became the first country to implement a comprehensive social media ban for users under 16, and several other nations are now considering similar legislation. The United Kingdom, Spain, and France are among the countries actively exploring laws that would prevent teenagers under 16 from using social media platforms.

British regulators have already taken steps to pressure technology companies on this issue. In March, the Information Commissioner’s Office called on major social media platforms including YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook to implement stronger child protection measures. The regulatory body specifically advocated for improved age verification technologies rather than relying solely on self-declaration, which it characterized as easily circumvented.

Potential alternatives suggested by UK regulators include facial age estimation, digital identification systems, and one-time photo matching technologies.

Paul Arnold, CEO of the Information Commissioner’s Office, emphasized the urgency of action in a letter to platforms at that time: “With ever-growing public concern, the status quo is not working, and industry must do more to protect children. You should act now to identify and implement current viable technologies to prevent children under your minimum age from accessing your service.”