EU Pressures Meta Over Child Safety Failures on Facebook, Instagram

Brussels. The European Union (EU) has officially increased pressure on tech company Meta, citing serious shortcomings in child protection via social media. Regulators have warned of strict action after concluding that platforms like Facebook and Instagram have failed to prevent underage users.

In a preliminary assessment released Wednesday by the European Commission, the EU's executive body stated that Meta has not developed an effective system to prevent children under 13 from signing up on its platforms. According to the Commission, identifying and removing such users after account creation is also not being done sufficiently.

The Commission determined that although Meta has set a minimum age of 13 for using Facebook and Instagram according to its own rules, its implementation in practice has been weak. This not only allows children access to the platforms but also exposes them to risks from age-inappropriate content and experiences.

The Commission noted that this issue is not limited to access. It was concluded that Meta has not adequately assessed the risks associated with the content that children under 13 encounter when using the platforms.

The European Commission has initiated this action under the Digital Services Act (DSA). This act mandates large tech companies operating in the 27 member states to be more responsible for user protection, especially that of minors.

The Commission's Executive Vice-President, Henna Virkkunen, stated that the investigation, launched in 2024, shows that although Meta's platforms do not target users under 13 according to their terms and conditions, only 'very limited efforts' have been made to enforce this in practice. She emphasized that the time has come to send a clear message that rules should not remain merely on paper but must be transformed into concrete actions for user safety.

Meta will now be given an opportunity to respond to the Commission's preliminary findings. If violations are proven after a final decision, the company could face fines of up to six percent of its global annual revenue.

Meta has not yet provided an immediate reaction to this matter. The EU's move is seen as an indication that child safety responsibilities will be tightened for social media companies worldwide.