Meta Backs EU Plan for Online Teen Safety

Meta is publicly backing a proposal for an EU-wide “Digital Majority Age” that would require parental approval for younger teens to access digital services, including social media.

In a new blog post, Meta said it believes such a unified approach could offer more consistent protections for teens across Europe. The company argued that parental involvement is crucial, noting recent polling that showed three-quarters of EU parents support requiring parental approval for app downloads by teens under 16.

“Parents know their teens best, and they should be the ones who have final say over what online services they are comfortable with their teens using,” Meta said, adding that regulation should empower families — not bypass them.

Meta stressed that any such framework shouldn’t target only social media, since teens use a wide range of apps. According to Meta, teens use an average of 40 apps per week, spanning social media, gaming, messaging, and more.

The company also emphasized the need for robust, privacy-friendly age verification methods. It endorsed solutions implemented at the app store or operating system level to provide a consistent, simple experience across all platforms.

Meta went on to highlight its recently launched Teen Accounts feature, designed to give parents more control and peace of mind. These accounts come with built-in safeguards, including stricter default privacy settings, limits on who can contact teens, and content restrictions tailored for younger users. Teens with these accounts also receive prompts to take breaks and have app notifications automatically muted at night to encourage healthier usage habits.

Per Meta, teens under 16 need parental approval to loosen these protections, and parents can further customize restrictions — such as setting time limits for specific apps during school hours or dinner time. Millions of teens across Europe have already been placed into Teen Accounts by default.

Teen Accounts initially launched on Instagram, with Meta bringing them to Facebook and Messenger earlier this year.

Meta clarified that its support for the Digital Majority Age policy does not mean it supports blanket social media bans for teens, arguing that such bans take authority away from parents and ignore the nuances between different apps and the protections they offer.

Concerns around teen safety online continue to grow. Last year, leaked court documents showed that TikTok executives were aware of the app’s potential harms to teens.

“Teens will continue to use digital services to socialize, be creative and explore who they are. Parents want to feel confident that their teens can use social media safely, and deserve tools to guide those experiences, not bans that bypass their input,” Meta concluded.