By George Omagbemi Sylvester
Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is facing mounting regulatory pressure from the European Union over alleged failures to protect underage users.
29 April 2026 — The European Commission has issued preliminary findings that Meta may have breached the Digital Services Act by failing to effectively prevent children under 13 from creating accounts on its platforms.
Regulators said existing safeguards (such as age verification systems) are inadequate, allowing minors to bypass restrictions simply by entering false birth dates.
The findings follow a two-year investigation, which revealed that a notable percentage of under-13 users are still active on both platforms, raising concerns about exposure to inappropriate content and online risks.
If the violations are confirmed, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue, a potentially massive financial penalty given the company’s scale.
Meta has pushed back, arguing that detecting underage users remains an industry-wide challenge, while insisting it continues to invest in improved safety tools.
The case underscores Europe’s tightening grip on Big Tech, particularly around child protection, and could set a global precedent for stricter enforcement of online age restrictions.
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