EU says Meta is failing to keep underage users off Facebook and Instagram
The European Union has accused Meta of failing to prevent underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, violating digital regulations aimed at protecting minors. The EU's executive branch stated that Meta lacks effective measures to stop children under 13 from signing up and is not adequately assessing the risks of exposing them to inappropriate content. Meta disagrees with the findings and claims to have measures in place to detect and remove underage accounts, while the EU's Digital Services Act mandates stricter enforcement of user age restrictions.
- ▪The EU accused Meta of not preventing underage users from accessing its platforms.
- ▪Meta's minimum age for account creation is 13, but the EU found it insufficient in enforcing this rule.
- ▪Violations of the Digital Services Act can lead to fines of up to 6% of a company's annual revenue.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Technology EU says Meta is failing to keep underage users off Facebook and Instagram April 29, 20264:44 AM ET By The Associated Press A Meta logo is shown on a video screen at LlamaCon 2025, an AI developer conference, in Menlo Park, Calif., April 29, 2025. Jeff Chiu/AP hide caption toggle caption Jeff Chiu/AP LONDON — The European Union accused Meta on Wednesday of failing to stop underage users from accessing Facebook and Instagram, in violation of the bloc's tough digital rules that require social media sites to protect minors.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at NPR — News.