EU presses Meta to strengthen child safety measures after US settlement

The European Commission is putting additional pressure on Meta to strengthen protections for children in the European Union following the company’s recent settlement with US authorities over teen safety. Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier said on 27 August that the Commission had been closely following the US case and had discussed the issue with Meta after the settlement was announced.

The US agreement could add pressure on Meta as it faces separate enforcement action in the EU under the Digital Services Act (DSA). European regulators are examining whether features on Facebook and Instagram can contribute to excessive use and expose children to risks associated with personalised recommendations and other engagement-focused design choices.

Existing EU enforcement

The Commission’s concerns predate the US settlement. In July 2026, it found Meta in breach of the DSA and required the company to propose changes aimed at making its platforms safer for children.

Among the measures requested were disabling autoplay and endless scrolling by default, introducing screen-time breaks and modifying recommendation systems to reduce features that encourage prolonged engagement.

The Commission had also raised concerns in April over Meta’s ability to prevent children under 13 from creating or maintaining accounts on its platforms.

US settlement adds pressure

The US case focused on concerns similar to those being examined by European regulators. Following the settlement, the Commission said it was assessing the measures agreed by Meta and engaging with the company on whether comparable protections could be provided to children in the EU.

Regnier said the Commission expected Meta to provide effective screen-time management and parental controls, while also indicating that the company should consider extending its US commitments to European users.

The settlement could make it more difficult for Meta to argue that stronger child-safety measures are technically or operationally impractical if similar measures have been accepted as part of the US agreement.

Different regulatory requirements

The EU and US approaches do not necessarily impose identical obligations on Meta. European regulators have already called for changes to specific platform features, including endless scrolling, autoplay and personalised recommendation systems.

This means that even if Meta implements the measures agreed in the US, it could still face additional requirements in the EU under the DSA. The Commission’s ongoing engagement with the company will determine whether Meta proposes measures that address the concerns identified by European regulators.

The case illustrates how large online platforms are increasingly being subject to overlapping child-safety requirements across different jurisdictions, with regulators able to use enforcement actions in one market to inform expectations in another.