PRESS RELEASE
How weaknesses in Meta’s creator monetization systems and governance may expose children to harm
New research by WHAT TO FIX identifies accounts targeting, featuring and apparently managed by children seemingly able to access Meta’s monetization products despite Meta monetization rules restricting individuals under-18 and accounts primarily posting child-focused content from monetizing.
30 September 2026
| Media Inquiries: press@whattofix.tech
BRUSSELS — September 30 , 2026 - A new report by WHAT TO FIX finds widespread evidence that Meta is failing to enforce its monetization rules intended to protect against the exploitation of children’s attention, image, identity and labor. The report, “Child Monetization: How weaknesses in Meta’s creator monetization systems and governance expose children to harm,” identifies Facebook and Instagram accounts targeting, featuring and apparently managed by children seemingly able to access Meta monetization products —including Content Monetization, Stars, Gifts and Subscriptions.
Thousands of child-related accounts accessing monetization
Meta’s monetization rules explicitly state that individuals under 18 and accounts that primarily post content focused on children are not eligible to use its monetization products.
WHAT TO FIX’s findings suggest that these restrictions are not being reliably enforced.
Searches across WHAT TO FIX’s Meta Monetization Archive, which consolidates 7 years of Meta’s partner-publisher lists, and public indicators of access to audience-support tools, such as Stars, Gifts and Subscriptions, reveal widespread evidence of monetization access by:
- Accounts designed to attract and retain audiences under 13;
- Accounts featuring children, including babies and toddlers, child-influencer accounts, accounts seemingly impersonating a child, and accounts aggregating children’s images and videos without apparent permission;
- Accounts apparently managed by teenagers, including via potential access to monetization products using a Teen Account set to ‘public’ and ‘pro-mode’
WHAT TO FIX does not claim that every child-related account engaged in monetization is necessarily exploitative or engaged in illegal activity. Nor does it claim that payments were necessarily processed to the accounts identified as having access to Meta’s monetization products through this research.
But its findings raise credible concerns that Meta’s monetization products may create a financial incentive for the commercialization of children’s attention, images, identities and labor, and may expose children to exploitation, privacy, well-being and safety risks.
WHAT TO FIX’s findings also point to important tensions between Meta’s stated approach to child-safety and the reality of its monetization practices.
Systemic weaknesses in Meta’s monetization controls
WHAT TO FIX’s report argues that violations of Meta’s monetization rules towards children are a predictable outcome of weaknesses in the design and operation of Meta’s monetization systems.
These include:
- Ineffective detection of accounts and content focused on children;
- Automated eligibility screening and prompts that may invite ineligible users to monetize;
- Inadequate qualification and ongoing reviews of monetization partners;
- Payout arrangements that may allow under-18 creators to monetize through an adult’s payout account; and
- Lack of transparency and effective reporting pathways for suspected monetization violations.
Meta’s Teen Account design also raises additional questions.
Meta has publicised its Teen Accounts as a flagship teen safety solution, offering privacy-by-default. Yet according to Meta’s communications materials, teens can convert Teen Accounts to professional mode (‘pro-mode’) by making their content ‘public’ and turning off one of the product’s central privacy protections. Although WHAT TO FIX could not independently confirm that Teen Account could successfully register for monetization products, Meta’s communications materials reference monetization among the professional features potentially available to teen creators.
Quotes
The following can be attributed to WHAT TO FIX’s Executive Director, Victoire Rio:
Meta says that under-18s and accounts focused on children are not eligible to monetize. Yet we found repeated signs of monetization access across every child-related category we examined—including children as audiences, subjects or creators.” The child safety conversation has so far focused on social media access, addictive designs and unwanted contacts. What our research shows is that platforms’ monetization practices can expose children to harm and exploitation, even without children accessing platforms.” If under-13s are not allowed to use Meta platforms, how does Meta justify helping accounts which are designed to attract and entertain these audiences generate revenue?“ Meta has been advertising Teen Accounts as a flagship child safety measure. But what does it say if teens can access professional features by toggling their audience settings to ‘public’.” The following can be attributed to WHAT TO FIX’s Policy Manager, Belen Luna Sanz:
Our concern is not limited to whether Meta ultimately issued a payment. By granting access to monetization products, Meta can create financial incentives to attract children, push them to perform or appropriate their images and identities.” Our findings point to a failure of monetization governance. A company operating monetization systems at Meta’s scale should be able to thoroughly vet its monetization partners, provide meaningful ways for users to report suspected violations, and disclose sufficient information to enable external oversight.”What Meta said
WHAT TO FIX provided Meta with an opportunity to comment on its key findings and provide clarifications. Meta’s spokesperson provided the following comment:
We do not allow teens under 18 to use Meta's monetization features. We also do not allow accounts that primarily post content of children to monetize, for example by offering subscriptions or receiving gifts. To enforce these rules, we conduct age-checks and use a variety of signals to detect users under-18 and accounts that primarily post content of children. When an account or content violates our policies, we take appropriate action, including removing access to monetization features.” The way forward: Creator Monetization Governance
To address safety and compliance gaps, WHAT TO FIX calls for a Creator Monetization Governance framework requiring platforms to identify and mitigate foreseeable harms, provide meaningful transparency, submit to independent oversight, and ensure prompt access to reporting and redress.
- Risk Assessments: social media platforms should be required to assess and mitigate the risks created by their monetization products, including risks to children as creators, subjects and audiences.
- Monetization Transparency: platforms should be required to introduce account- and content-level monetization labels, searchable monetization libraries (similar to ad libraries), API access for regulators and researchers, and regular enforcement reports.
- Dedicated Reporting Pathways: existing user reporting mechanisms should be expanded to support user reports of suspected legal and monetization rule violations.
Notes to editors
- Meta’s monetization rules state that individuals under 18 and accounts primarily posting content focused on children are ineligible to access monetization products.
- Access to Meta monetization products is subject to Meta’s monetization terms. These give rise to immediate earning rights and balance accounts, as well as to the potential for fund accruals. Access to payouts requires the parallel successful registration of a payout account.
- Public indicators of monetization access include inclusion on Meta’s partner-publisher lists and the display of audience-support features such as Stars, Gifts and Subscriptions.
- WHAT TO FIX’s Meta Monetization Archive consolidates Meta’s partner-publisher lists dating back to 2019.
- Facebook paid $3 billion to creators in 2025. WHAT TO FIX documented a 17-fold increase in the number of benefiting accounts over the past 3 years.
- The full report, along with the questions addressed to Meta, can be accessed here: https://www.whattofix.tech/publications/sept-2026-meta-child-monetization-report/
About WHAT TO FIX
WHAT TO FIX is an evidence-based tech policy and accountability nonprofit registered in the Netherlands. Our work focuses on furthering the diagnosis of systemic risks and shifting adverse incentive structures. We’ve been pioneering research into social media monetization (mal)practices since 2019.
Media contact - press@whattofix.tech