Mark Zuckerberg Admits Instagram Underage User Delays

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that his company had been slow in identifying underage users on Instagram. He made the remarks while facing criticism at a major social media trial, where Meta is accused of deliberately attracting children under 13 to the platform.

During the trial, Zuckerberg was asked about complaints from inside the company that not enough was being done to check whether young children were using Instagram. The 41-year-old CEO, whose company also owns Facebook and WhatsApp, acknowledged the issue but said that steps have been taken to improve the verification of users.

Experts and regulators are closely watching the trial, which could have big implications for how social media platforms handle children’s safety and privacy online.