Story perspectives

EU Charges Meta Over Under-13 Users, Threatens 6% Revenue Fines

4/29/2026

Summary

Meta Charged

EU charged Meta Platforms Inc. with breaching Digital Services Act by permitting under-13 users on Instagram and Facebook.
Regulators said Meta’s age-verification is weak, letting minors use false birth dates and a tool that fails to delete accounts, with 10-12 % of children under 13 accessing the platforms.
Meta disputes the findings, will launch tools next week, and warns fines could reach 6 % of revenue, citing court orders of $375 million and $6 million.

Summary

EU Launches App

European Commission says age-verification app is ready and will be deployed soon, Ursula von der Leyen announced.
Spain wants a ban for under-16 users, France for under-15, and other EU states consider comparable limits.
The Commission plans to launch the app by year-end, tying it to national digital ID wallets.
Meta rolled out teen accounts, parental controls, facial age checks and ID verification, supporting U.S. age-verification proposals for app stores.

Summary

Meta Overhaul

The European Commission released its Meta probe’s preliminary findings on 29 April 2026, ordering an overhaul of risk-assessment methods or a fine of up to 6 % of turnover.
The investigation, launched in May 2024, gave Meta a formal response period before a final decision, with any fine likely imposed months later.
Germany’s government supports raising the minimum age for services like Instagram and TikTok to limit children’s screen time.

Summary

EU Tightens Controls

US court found Meta and YouTube guilty of facilitating social-media addiction, a verdict praised by child-rights activists.
EU regulators said four porn sites, including Pornhub, breach rules by letting children access adult material.
The European Commission opened a separate probe into Snapchat over alleged child-protection lapses.
Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen urged member states to speed the EU-built age-verification app rollout before the end of 2026.

History

Historical Context

The 1998 Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, effective April 21 2000, required verifiable parental consent for data from users under 13. The FTC enforces it, imposing penalties up to $53,088 per violation, as seen in the 2019 $170 million settlement with YouTube for COPPA breaches. These early rules created a template for later global child-online-privacy enforcement.

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Meta Charged

EU charged Meta Platforms Inc. with breaching Digital Services Act by permitting under-13 users on Instagram and Facebook.
Regulators said Meta’s age-verification is weak, letting minors use false birth dates and a tool that fails to delete accounts, with 10-12 % of children under 13 accessing the platforms.
Meta disputes the findings, will launch tools next week, and warns fines could reach 6 % of revenue, citing court orders of $375 million and $6 million.

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