Meta faces EU scrutiny for failing to block under-13 users

The European Commission has preliminarily found that platforms operated by Meta — Instagram and Facebook — may be in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) over failures to adequately protect children under the age of 13.

According to findings published on the Commission’s official website, the company’s safeguards are not effectively preventing underage users from accessing its services, despite a minimum age requirement of 13. The investigation highlighted that minors can easily bypass restrictions by entering false birth dates during account creation, with no robust verification mechanisms in place.

The Commission also criticised the platforms’ reporting system, describing it as cumbersome and ineffective. Reporting an underage user may require multiple steps, and even when such cases are flagged, there is often no meaningful follow-up, allowing accounts to remain active without verification checks.

Officials further noted that Meta’s risk assessment methodology appears incomplete and inconsistent with broader evidence across the European Union, which suggests that approximately 10–12% of children under 13 use Instagram or Facebook. The Commission said the company had also overlooked scientific research indicating that younger children are particularly vulnerable to online harms.

At this stage, the Commission has called on Meta to revise its risk assessment framework and introduce stronger measures to prevent, detect, and remove underage users. These steps are expected to align with the 2025 DSA guidelines on protecting minors, including improved age verification systems.

Meta now has the right to review the case file and respond to the preliminary findings. The European Board for Digital Services will also be consulted as part of the process.

If the Commission ultimately confirms its findings, it could issue a non-compliance decision and impose fines of up to 6% of Meta’s global annual turnover, along with periodic penalty payments.

The investigation, launched in May 2024, remains ongoing and also examines broader risks linked to platform design, including features that may encourage addictive behaviour among minors.

By Tamilla Hasanova