Commission preliminarily finds Meta in breach of Digital Services Act for failing to prevent minors under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook
EU DSA enforcement on age verification shapes global platform behaviour but carries no immediate implication for Australian AI governance frameworks.
Key points
- The EU Commission has preliminarily found Meta in breach of the DSA for failing to prevent under-13s accessing Instagram and Facebook.
- Age verification and minor protection online are active policy areas in Australia, but this specific DSA finding has no direct AU parallel.
- Limited direct relevance to APS AI governance work; this is a platform regulation and child safety item, not an AI governance item.
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"Commission preliminarily finds Meta in breach of Digital Services Act for failing to prevent minors under 13 from using Instagram and Facebook"
Source: EU Digital Strategy – News
Published: 29 April 2026
URL: https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/news/commission-preliminarily-finds-meta-breach-digital-services-act-failing-prevent-minors-under-13
The European Commission has made a preliminary finding that Meta's Instagram and Facebook violate the Digital Services Act by failing to effectively prevent minors under 13 from accessing their platforms. The Commission found that Meta's self-declaration age-check mechanism — allowing minors to enter a false birthdate with no verification — is inadequate. While Australia has its own online safety and age assurance policy activity, this item is primarily a platform regulation and child protection enforcement matter rather than an AI governance development.
Retrieved from SIMS, 18 July 2026.