The European Commission announced Wednesday preliminary findings that tech giant Meta has failed to enforce its own minimum age rule of 13 for Facebook and Instagram, leaving underage users exposed to harmful online content and facing potential penalties that could reach billions of dollars. The ruling marks a major step forward in the EU’s sweeping campaign to tighten protections for minors navigating digital spaces, following similar policy moves around the world.
The investigation, launched back in May 2024 under the bloc’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), uncovered critical flaws in Meta’s age verification systems. Regulators confirmed that under-13s can easily bypass existing restrictions simply by entering a false date of birth, with no effective cross-checks in place to catch these inaccuracies. Additionally, the platform’s built-in tool for reporting underage accounts was found to be unnecessarily convoluted, requiring up to seven separate clicks just to reach the reporting form, rendering it largely ineffective for most users.
EU officials pointed out that Meta’s own terms of service have long set 13 as the minimum age for platform access, but the company has failed to turn that written policy into actionable protection. “Terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users — including children,” said Henna Virkkunen, the European Commissioner responsible for technology. Brussels also pushed back against Meta’s internal risk assessment, noting it contradicts widespread data across EU member states showing between 10 and 12 percent of all under-13s regularly access the two platforms.
If the preliminary findings are finalized after the review period, the EU has the authority to impose fines equal to as much as 6 percent of Meta’s total global annual revenue, a penalty that could amount to billions of dollars for the company. Meta has rejected the EU’s conclusions, noting it has existing systems in place to identify and remove underage accounts. “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,” a Meta spokesperson said, adding the company plans to continue constructive dialogue with EU regulators. The firm could still avoid financial penalties by implementing sufficient fixes to address the identified violations.
Wednesday’s announcement is just one part of a broader EU push to rein in harmful practices from large technology companies when it comes to child safety online. Back in February, regulators issued an unprecedented warning to TikTok, demanding the platform alter its famously addictive algorithm design or face heavy fines. The ongoing Meta probe also includes additional investigations into the platforms’ impacts on user mental and physical health, as well as assessments of whether their design features intentionally encourage compulsive use.
The EU’s child safety push has gained new momentum after Australia introduced a groundbreaking national ban on social media use for anyone under 16 earlier this year, putting intense political pressure on Brussels to adopt sweeping bloc-wide rules. Several EU member states have already floated national proposals to ban under-16s from social platforms, and the European Commission confirmed Wednesday it is currently exploring the feasibility of a uniform EU-wide age minimum for social media access. To support these upcoming rules, the Commission also announced this month that a purpose-built EU age verification app is complete and set to roll out across the bloc in the coming months, designed to replace the ineffective pop-up age confirmation banners currently used by most adult and social platforms. Just last month, regulators also penalized four major adult pornography platforms including Pornhub for failing to block underage access to their content in violation of EU digital rules.
The DSA, the EU’s flagship digital regulation that forms the legal basis for this probe, has already faced fierce criticism from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has argued the rules unfairly target American technology companies.