We do not allow people under 13 to use Facebook and Instagram. We also have age-specific privacy protections for people between 13 and 17. These include defaulting to private accounts, restricting who can see their audience, and limiting the advertisers that can reach them.
Despite these stated restrictions, Meta has faced significant regulatory scrutiny and litigation regarding children's access to its platforms and the adequacy of age verification measures, creating ongoing compliance risk.
Meta's policy authorizes collection of an exceptionally broad range of personal data — including location, biometric features, financial information, browsing history across third-party sites, and sensitive inferences about health and political views — primarily to serve targeted advertising. Non-users who have never created a Meta account are also subject to data collection when they visit sites using Meta's tracking tools such as the Meta Pixel. You can review and limit off-platform tracking by visiting Facebook Settings > Your Facebook Information > Off-Facebook Activity and clearing or restricting that data.