The European Union has issued a preliminary ruling that Meta is not doing enough to prevent children from accessing Facebook and Instagram, marking another potential violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The decision could lead to significant financial penalties for the tech giant.
Regulators found that Meta's age verification measures are insufficient, allowing underage users to circumvent restrictions. This is the latest in a series of DSA-related actions against Meta, which already faces investigations over other compliance issues.
The EU's preliminary findings highlight ongoing concerns about child safety online. If confirmed, Meta may be required to implement more robust age-checking systems or face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
Meta has not yet issued a formal response, but the company has previously defended its efforts to protect young users, including the development of AI-based tools to detect age misrepresentation. However, EU officials argue that current measures fall short of legal requirements.
This case underscores the increasing regulatory pressure on social media platforms to safeguard minors, with the DSA setting strict standards for user protection across the bloc.