By Edith Hancock
The European Union said Meta Platforms might be in breach of the bloc's digital laws for not doing enough to prevent minors under the age of 13 from using Instagram and Facebook.
The European Commission said on Wednesday that measures Meta has put in place to restrict minors' access to the platforms don't seem to be effective. The company requires users of its hugely popular social networks to be over 13 in most countries.
A spokesperson for the company said it disagrees with the EU's initial findings.
"We're clear that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age," they said.
The EU's Digital Services Act requires large online platforms like Facebook and Instagram to do more to protect young people online and safeguard against harmful and illegal content. Earlier this year, the commission also told video platform TikTok it may be breaching the rules over concerns that certain features like infinite scroll are addictive.
Henna Virkkunen, the EU's top tech enforcer, said in a statement Wednesday that Instagram and Facebook were doing little to prevent children under 13 from accessing their services.
"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 users--including children," she said.
The EU executive said that minors are able to falsify their date of birth when setting up an Instagram and Facebook account. It also said Meta's tool for reporting minors under 13 is difficult to use and that, even if a case is reported, there is no proper follow-up.
The regulator said the platforms should change their risk assessment methodology and strengthen their own measures to prevent, detect and remove minors from their services.
Meta's spokesperson said the company is investing in technologies to find and remove users under 13 and plans to roll out additional measures.
"Understanding age is an industry-wide challenge, which requires an industry-wide solution, and we will continue to engage constructively with the European Commission on this important issue," they said.
Companies can receive fines of up to 6% of their annual worldwide turnover if the commission deems that they are breaking the DSA. The commission fined Elon Musk's X 120 million euros ($140.6 million) in December for what it said were breaches of the law.
Meta now has a chance to submit a formal response to the commission's findings before officials make a final verdict.
The EU is moving forward with its investigation into Meta just as governments worldwide are seeking to curb young people's access to social media. The European Commission has been developing an age verification tool it says allows users to prove that they are over 18 when they try to access age-sensitive content.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, tech commissioner Virkkunen said it would allow users to keep browsing the internet in privacy while ensuring children can't access content not meant for them. The commission also urged member states on Wednesday to accelerate the app's rollout and make it available by the end of the year.
Write to Edith Hancock at edith.hancock@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-29-26 0419ET
