The European Commission announced on Wednesday that Meta breached European Union law by failing to implement effective measures to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram. The preliminary findings follow a nearly two-year investigation into the Silicon Valley tech giant’s compliance with safety standards.
As reported by The Guardian, the commission determined that Meta could not uphold its own terms and conditions, which establish 13 as the minimum age for safe access. The investigation found that the company failed to meet obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA) to mitigate risks associated with underage utilizers.
Meta representatives have formally challenged the initial results of the regulatory probe.
“We’re clear that Instagram and Facebook are intfinished for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and rerelocate accounts from anyone under that age. We continue to invest in technologies to find and rerelocate underage utilizers and will have more to share next week about additional measures rolling out soon,” declared a Meta spokesperson.
The company maintains that identifying the age of digital utilizers remains a collective struggle for all technology firms.
“an industest-wide challenge, which requires an industest-wide solution,” declared the spokesperson.
The tech firm further noted that they intfinish to continue their discussions with European regulators regarding these findings.
“engage constructively,” declared the spokesperson.
Meta previously asserted its commitment to safety when the inquiry was first launched two years ago.
“to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online,” declared a Meta representative.
The company highlighted its long-term investment in developing protective protocols for younger audiences.
“spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them,” declared the representative.
Henna Virkkunen, the commission’s lead official on tech policy, stated that the current enforcement of age restrictions is insufficient. Experts estimate that approximately 12% of children under 13 in the EU currently utilize Meta’s platforms by applying fake birthdates during registration.
“Our preliminary findings reveal that Instagram and Facebook are doing very little to prevent children below this age from accessing their services,” declared Henna Virkkunen, EU Lead Official on Tech Policy.
Virkkunen emphasized that the legal requirements for platforms extfinish beyond theoretical documentation to active utilizer protection.
“The DSA requires platforms to enforce their own rules: terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect utilizers – including children,” declared Henna Virkkunen.
The official also warned that inadequate screening processes leave children vulnerable to serious online risks.
“poor mitigating measures,” declared Henna Virkkunen.
She noted that these failures expose minors to hazards including “age-inappropriate experiences,” grooming, and cyberbullying. Meta now has the opportunity to review the investigation file and present a defense before a final decision is reached. If the findings are upheld, the company faces potential fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, which reached $201 billion in 2025.
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