EU Finds Meta Failing to Block Children Under 13 from Facebook and Instagram

The European Commission has released preliminary findings concluding that Meta’s systems for keeping underage users off Facebook and Instagram are falling short of legal requirements. Despite Meta’s own terms of service setting a minimum age of 13, investigators found that children could simply enter a false birth date to gain access, with no effective safeguard in place to catch them.

A Fine That Could Run Into Billions

The stakes are significant. If the Commission proceeds, Meta could face a penalty reaching up to 6% of its total worldwide turnover — a figure that could amount to billions of euros. The company will have an opportunity to respond before any final decision is made, though the Commission’s findings leave little room for optimism on Meta’s part. Regulators also criticised Meta’s system for reporting underage users as difficult to use and largely ineffective.

A Wider Problem with No Easy Fix

Meta is far from alone in struggling with this challenge. Australia recently introduced strict laws banning under-16s from social platforms, yet early data showed that roughly 7 in 10 children still maintained accounts on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and Facebook after the rules took effect. The core difficulty lies in the fact that no truly foolproof age-verification method currently exists, and digitally savvy young users often find workarounds quickly.

The Commission is now demanding that Meta revise its risk assessment methodology and strengthen detection measures. Given Meta’s long and costly history of EU regulatory clashes, this latest finding signals yet another difficult chapter ahead for the social media giant.