The European Commission issued preliminary charges against Meta on Wednesday, accusing the company of violating the European Union's Digital Services Act by failing to prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram.

The ruling comes after an almost two-year investigation into Meta's age verification practices. EU regulators determined that the company lacks adequate measures to stop underage users from creating accounts on its platforms, which are officially restricted to users 13 and older.

According to the Commission, Meta does not have effective controls to verify users' self-declared dates of birth during the registration process. This represents a breach of the bloc's digital rules that require social media platforms to implement robust protections for minors.

The Digital Services Act, which took effect in 2023, establishes comprehensive online safety requirements for major tech platforms operating in the European Union. The law specifically mandates that companies implement effective age verification systems and provide enhanced protections for users under 18.

Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the preliminary findings before the Commission issues a final decision. If the charges are upheld, the company could face significant fines and be required to implement stronger age verification measures across its European operations.

This enforcement action represents part of a broader regulatory push by authorities worldwide to strengthen online safety protections for children, as lawmakers and regulators increasingly scrutinize how social media platforms verify user ages and protect minors from potential harms.