The European Commission has delivered a preliminary verdict on Meta (META): the social media giant is not doing enough to protect minors on Instagram and Facebook.
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EU Says Meta Leaves Minors Exposed
The European Union’s executive arm on Wednesday said it found that measures put in place by the company to stop minors under 13 years old from accessing these social media platforms “do not seem to be effective.” It has concluded for now that this violates the EU Digital Services Act, a law that seeks to protect users from the region while using online platforms.
“For example, when creating an account, minors below 13 can enter a false birth date that makes them at least 13 years old, with no effective controls in place to check the correctness of the self-declared date of birth,” the commission said in a statement. This inadequacy means there are risks of exposure to “age-inappropriate experiences,” it added.
Meta in EU Crosshairs over Child Safety
Regarding minor protection, the commission has had Meta on its radar since November 2023, when it sent a request for information to the company and peer Snap (SNAP) on measures they were taking to protect minors. The EU regulator followed this up in May 2024 by launching a formal probe into Meta, noting that the platform might also be fostering addictive behaviors among children.
Now, the commission is temporarily concluding that the platform’s measures on minor protection are insufficient.
“Meta’s tool for reporting minors under 13 on the platform is difficult to use and not effective, requiring up to seven clicks just to access the reporting form, which is not automatically pre-filled with the user’s information,” the commission explained.
What’s Next for Meta?
The regulator is asking Meta to strengthen the measures it has put in place to prevent, detect, and remove minors under the age of 13 from accessing the two platforms. It has also given the company room to respond to its preliminary findings.
If the findings are later confirmed, Meta could be forced to pay up to 6% of its global revenue in penalty payments, the watchdog added.
Is Meta a Good Stock to Buy?
On Wall Street, Meta’s shares continue to boast a Strong Buy consensus rating from analysts. This is based on 28 Buys and five Holds assigned by 33 analysts over the past three months.
In addition, the average META price target of $852.64 suggests about 27% upside.
