EU Says Meta Fails to Keep Under-13s Off Facebook

Europe’s regulators have fired a direct warning at Meta: children under 13 can still get onto Facebook and Instagram, and the company may be breaking the law because of it.

The European Commission said in a preliminary decision that Meta breaches the Digital Services Act by failing to put adequate safeguards in place to stop under-13s from using its platforms. The finding follows a nearly two-year investigation and sharpens a growing clash between Big Tech’s growth engines and Europe’s push to force safer digital spaces for minors.

The case cuts to a simple question with huge consequences: if platforms know children are getting in, what exactly are they doing to stop it?

The ruling matters because the DSA does not treat child safety as a side issue. It places clear responsibilities on major platforms to assess risks and reduce harm, especially when vulnerable users can slip through basic controls. Reports indicate the Commission believes Meta’s current systems do not meet that standard, though the decision remains preliminary and could still face a response from the company.

The pressure on Meta extends beyond one enforcement action. European officials have spent the past several years building a tougher rulebook for online platforms, and this case shows how that framework now reaches into core product design questions such as age checks, access barriers, and platform accountability. For Meta, the issue touches both legal exposure and public trust, since any suggestion that young children can bypass protections lands hard with parents, lawmakers, and watchdogs.

What happens next will matter far beyond Meta. The company can respond to the preliminary finding, and the Commission will decide whether to turn this warning into a final ruling with potential penalties or mandated changes. The outcome could shape how major platforms verify users’ ages across Europe and signal how aggressively regulators plan to enforce child-safety promises in the years ahead.