EU Says Meta Must Strengthen Child Protection Measures After Digital Rules Breach
EU Says Meta Must Strengthen Child Protection Measures After Digital Rules Breach The European Union has said a probe has found Meta Platforms in breach of its digital content rules, ordering the US tech giant to significantly strengthen measures aimed at preventing, detecting, and removing users under the age of 13 from Facebook and Instagram. The findings were issued under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) following a long-running investigation into how effectively Meta enforces its minimum age requirement of 13 for account holders. According to the European Commission, Meta’s existing safeguards were found to be ineffective in stopping underage users from accessing its platforms, despite the company’s own policy prohibiting children under 13 from creating accounts.
Investigators concluded that Meta failed to properly enforce its rules, allowing significant numbers of children to gain access to Facebook and Instagram. The Commission also said the company’s systems were not robust enough to quickly identify and remove underage accounts once they were detected.
EU regulators have now instructed Meta to improve its risk assessment processes and strengthen enforcement mechanisms to ensure children are effectively blocked from using its platforms.
Officials stressed that digital platforms must go beyond written policies and demonstrate concrete action.
The Commission said the company must enhance its systems for
- Age verification
- Detection of underage accounts
- Rapid removal of violating users
- Assessment of risks to children online
The EU also raised concerns that children who access Facebook and Instagram may be exposed to age-inappropriate content, harmful interactions, and online risks, highlighting the need for stronger safeguards. Officials said internal findings suggested that a notable share of users under 13 still access the platforms, despite restrictions. The regulator added that Meta’s risk assessments did not sufficiently reflect scientific evidence about the vulnerabilities of children online. If the findings are confirmed in a final decision, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover under the Digital Services Act. The company will now have the opportunity to respond to the Commission’s preliminary conclusions before any final ruling is made. Meta has disagreed with the EU’s findings, maintaining that it already invests heavily in systems designed to detect and remove underage users. The company also argues that age verification remains a complex challenge across the tech industry and has called for broader, industry-wide solutions.
The case is part of a broader EU push to tighten protections for minors online and improve enforcement of digital platform rules.
Regulators across Europe are increasingly scrutinising social media companies over
- Child safety
- Algorithmic exposure to harmful content
- Age verification systems
- Platform
