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EU says Meta failed to stop under 13s accessing Facebook and Instagram



fact_checkFact-Check Results

13 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 3
schedule Pending 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
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“One in ten children under the age of 13 is using Facebook or Instagram, EU regulators say.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim about 'one in ten children under the age of 13' is not directly supported by the provided web search or Wikipedia results. The evidence focuses on Meta's failure to prevent minors from using the platforms, but does not quantify the usage rate as 10%.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Facebook (and parent company Meta Platforms) has been the subject of criticism and legal action since it was founded in 2004. Criticisms include the outsize influence Facebook has on the lives and hea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_Facebook
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The European Commission has issued a preliminary finding against Meta for allegedly failing to prevent children under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results independently report that the European Commission issued preliminary findings against Meta for failing to prevent minors under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. Sources include 'Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep children off...' and 'Meta criticised over measures aimed at under-13s - RTÉ'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ilir Rexhep Meta (Albanian pronunciation: [iliɾ meta]; born 24 March 1969) is an Albanian politician who served as President of Albania from 2015 to 2022. Previously Meta served as Prime Minister from…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilir_Meta
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ray-Ban Meta is a series of smartglasses created by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica (parent company of Ray-Ban). The glasses include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad buil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Meta
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“The Commission said that its findings showed the US tech giant’s systems are in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA).”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that the European Commission found Meta in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA). Sources include 'Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep...' and 'Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep... | The Guardian'.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Digital Markets Act (DMA) is an EU regulation that aims to make the digital economy fairer and more contestable. The regulation entered into force on 1 November 2022 and became applicable, for the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Markets_Act
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ray-Ban Meta is a series of smartglasses created by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica (parent company of Ray-Ban). The glasses include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad buil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Meta
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Meta’s own terms of service set 13 as the minimum age for both platforms, but the Commission said that the company's age enforcement measures are largely ineffective, as children can enter a false date of birth when signing up, with no mechanism in place to verify whether the information is accurate.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that the Commission stated Meta's age enforcement measures are largely ineffective because children can enter a false date of birth without verification is not explicitly detailed in the provided evidence. While the evidence confirms Meta's age enforcement is a subject of the investigation, the specific detail about the lack of verification mechanism is not corroborated by multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Consent-or-pay, also called pay-or-okay, is a compliance tactic used by certain companies, most notably Meta, to drive up the rates at which users consent to data processing under the European Union's…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consent_or_pay
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Meta Platforms, Inc. (doing business as Meta) is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Menlo Park, California. Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ray-Ban Meta is a series of smartglasses created by Meta Platforms and EssilorLuxottica (parent company of Ray-Ban). The glasses include two cameras, open-ear speakers, a microphone, and touchpad buil…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray-Ban_Meta
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“The Commission said that roughly 10-12% of children under 13 are using Instagram and Facebook, which contradicts Meta’s internal assessments.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that the European Commission found 10-12% usage and that this contradicts Meta's internal assessments is mentioned in the context of the web search results, but the specific percentage (10-12%) and the direct contradiction to Meta's internal assessments are not independently corroborated by multiple sources.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Instagram is an American photo and short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters, be organized by hashtags…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instagram
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Threads is an American social media microblogging service operated by Meta Platforms. Threads requires an Instagram account to use the service and features integration between the two platforms. Upon…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threads_(social_network)
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The second von der Leyen Commission is the current European Commission, in office since 1 December 2024. It consists of one commissioner from each of the member states of the European Union – includin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von_der_Leyen_Commission_II
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“It also found that Meta “disregarded readily available scientific evidence,” indicating that younger children are particularly vulnerable to harms from services like Facebook and Instagram.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that the European Commission found Meta disregarded scientific evidence regarding the vulnerability of younger children is present in the web search results, but the specific finding and the finding that Meta 'disregarded' the evidence are not corroborated by multiple independent sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — Brussels, 24 October 2025 Today, the European Commission preliminarily found both TikTok and Meta in breach of their obligation to grant researchers adequate access to public data under the Digital Se…
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/api/files/docume…
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web search NEUTRAL — These findings are preliminary and do not prejudge the final outcome of the investigations. The Commission's investigation, conducted in cooperation with Coimisiún na Meán (the Irish Digital Services …
https://inhouse-legal.eu/public-policy-regulations/dsa-preli…
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web search NEUTRAL — Meta shut down internal research into the mental health effects of Facebook after finding causal evidence that its products harmed users' mental health, according to unredacted filings in a ...
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulat…
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“Meta said in a statement to Euronews that it disagrees with these preliminary findings.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Meta publicly stated that it disagrees with the preliminary findings of the European Commission. Sources include 'Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep...' and 'Meta found in breach of EU law for failing to keep... | The Guardian'.
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web search NEUTRAL — The commission said its preliminary findings “do not prejudge the final outcome of the investigation”. Meta will now have the chance to examine the commission’s investigation file and mount a defence.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/29/meta-foun…
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web search NEUTRAL — Report this post. The European Commission preliminarily found Meta and TikTok violating the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to restrictive data access for researchers, hindering probes into harmful con…
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/thomas-regnier-24a05810b_toda…
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web search NEUTRAL — The European Commission preliminarily has found both TikTok and Meta in breach of their obligation to grant researchers adequate access to public data under the Digital Services Act (DSA).
https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-pre…
info
“We’re clear that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and we have measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age," the Meta spokesperson said, adding that the company continues to invest in technologies to find and remove underage users.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim that Meta stated that Instagram and Facebook are intended for people aged 13 and older and that it has measures in place to detect and remove underage accounts is consistent with the general narrative of Meta's defense, but the specific quote and detailed statement are not independently corroborated by multiple sources.
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web search NEUTRAL — Meta owns and operates several prominent social media platforms and communication services, including Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, Messenger, Threads, Manus and Moltbook.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meta_Platforms
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web search NEUTRAL — Meta has announced an initiative to help parents monitor their teenagers’ interactions with its AI assistant on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.Meta has stated that this initiative is a part …
https://thecsrjournal.in/meta-introduces-parental-controls-a…
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web search NEUTRAL — Meta has not commented on these claims. Instagram states AI is central to its "content review process" and Meta has outlined how technology and humans enforce its policies.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ce8307ge49eo
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“The spokesperson said that the company will have more to share next week about "additional measures rolling out soon".”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was returned for this claim, and therefore, no corroboration or contradiction can be found.
help
“European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in April that a new age-verification app is technically ready and will be available for use soon, without stating the date.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was returned for this claim, and therefore, no corroboration or contradiction can be found.
schedule
“On April 15, von der Leyen told social media platforms there were "no more excuses" for not protecting children online and announced that the EU's own age-verification app is technically ready for rollout.”
PENDING
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“Regulators are demanding that Meta overhaul its risk assessment methodology and significantly strengthen its measures to prevent, detect, and remove underage users from both platforms.”
PENDING
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“If the Commission's conclusions are ultimately confirmed, it can issue a formal non-compliance decision and impose a fine of up to 6% of Meta's total worldwide annual turnover, which could run into the billions of euros.”
PENDING

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.