Meta faces EU probe over child safety on social media

EU accuses Meta of failing to shield children on Instagram and Facebook

EU Accuses Meta of Failing to Protect Children on Instagram and Facebook

The European Commission has accused tech giant Meta of not doing enough to keep children off its platforms, Instagram and Facebook, in violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA), according to preliminary findings announced in Brussels on Wednesday. The Commission is demanding stricter age verification measures.

Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the allegations. If the Commission's assessment is confirmed, the U.S. company could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue, as well as periodic penalty payments.

"Meta's own terms of service state that its platforms are not intended for minors under 13," said Digital Commissioner Henna Virkkunen. "The Digital Services Act requires platforms to enforce their own rules."

Easy to Bypass

In practice, users can simply enter a false birthdate when creating an account, making themselves appear older than they are. The Commission's statement noted that Meta does not effectively verify users' actual ages.

The Commission also demanded that Instagram and Facebook take stronger action to remove underage users already on their platforms. While Meta offers a tool for reporting users under 13, the Commission described it as cumbersome to use and criticized the lack of proper follow-up on reported cases.

Additionally, the Commission accused Meta of failing to prevent children under 13 from encountering age-inappropriate content—such as pornography or violent material—on Instagram and Facebook. According to the Commission, around 10 to 12% of children under 13 in the EU use these platforms. It has called for both services to revise their risk assessments.

Reference to EU Age-Verification App

In its statement, the Commission pointed to the recently launched EU age-verification app, suggesting that companies could use it as a model for implementing user-friendly and privacy-compliant age checks. However, the app is not yet widely available across the EU and has faced criticism in recent weeks over security vulnerabilities.

The Commission's preliminary findings are part of a broader investigation into Instagram and Facebook, launched in May 2024, to determine whether the platforms comply with the EU's Digital Services Act. The DSA is the EU's flagship legislation for regulating online platforms, requiring them to assess and mitigate risks associated with their services.