EU charges Meta with failing to block children from Facebook, Instagram

The European Commission formally charged Meta on Tuesday with breaching the Digital Services Act, saying a two-year investigation found the company has done little to prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram.

The case is one of the most significant tests yet of the EU's landmark online safety law, which requires digital platforms to address illegal and harmful content. If found in violation, Meta could face fines of up to 6 percent of its global annual turnover.

EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said Meta's safeguards fall well short of what the law requires. "Our preliminary findings show that Instagram and Facebook are doing very little to prevent children below this age from accessing their services," Virkkunen said, according to The Korea Times. She added that platform rules must yield real protections: "Terms and conditions should not be mere written statements, but rather the basis for concrete action to protect users — including children."

EU regulators estimated that between 10 and 12 percent of children under 13 in Europe use Facebook and Instagram. Meta disputed those figures, saying they rely on user surveys conducted nearly a decade ago.

The company said it already operates systems to detect and remove accounts belonging to users under 13, and that it planned to announce additional protective measures in the week following the charges.

"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," a Meta spokesperson said.

The charges follow a two-year Commission investigation driven by growing worldwide concern about social media's effects on minors. Meta will have the opportunity to respond before regulators issue a final ruling. Under the Digital Services Act, violations can trigger fines of up to 6 percent of a company's global annual turnover.

The charges are preliminary, and Meta will have the chance to respond before the Commission issues a final ruling. Growing concern about social media's effects on young people has prompted governments and businesses worldwide to press technology companies for more effective safeguards.