NEW YORK, Feb 22, 2026, 10:38 EST — Market closed
- Turkey’s data protection authority launched a review into children’s personal data practices across major platforms, including Meta’s Instagram and Facebook.
- Meta shares last closed higher on Friday, with investors watching for any regulatory follow-through and company response.
- A recent SEC filing detailed a large restricted-stock grant to Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick.
Turkey’s data protection authority said it has launched a review into how major social media platforms handle children’s personal data, including Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook. The watchdog said the move aims to protect children from “potential risks” in digital environments and will examine data-processing practices and safety measures across TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, X and Discord. (Reuters)
Why it matters now: Meta’s ad business runs on user data, and tougher rules around minors can squeeze targeting tools that marketers pay for. Even a country-by-country push can add compliance costs, slow product changes and raise the risk of copycat reviews elsewhere.
The timing also lands as investors keep score on Meta’s spending plans. The company has framed artificial intelligence as a priority, and markets have been quick to punish big tech names when spending rises faster than growth.
Meta shares last closed on Friday at $655.66, up 1.7%. With U.S. markets shut on Sunday, traders head into Monday looking for whether the Turkey review turns into a broader regulatory overhang or stays a routine check.
In a separate disclosure, an SEC filing dated Feb. 20 showed Meta President and Vice Chairman Dina Powell McCormick received 91,333 restricted stock units, or RSUs — stock awards that convert into shares over time if the executive stays in the job. The filing said the RSUs vest in stages through 2030. (SEC)
Cost control remains part of the story, too. The Financial Times reported — and Reuters cited — that Meta cut annual stock option awards by about 5% for most staff, after a larger trim last year, as Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg pushes investment in AI. Meta has said it expects 2026 capital expenditure, or capex — cash spent on long-lived assets such as data centers — of $115 billion to $135 billion. (Reuters)
The risk is that the Turkey review widens into enforcement action that forces changes to how Meta handles minors’ data, or limits how ads are targeted. A slower-burn version is just as awkward: a long review cycle that keeps headlines coming while advertisers and regulators watch for missteps.
The competitive angle is messy. Turkey’s list sweeps in Alphabet’s YouTube and ByteDance’s TikTok alongside Meta’s apps, plus X and Discord, so any local rules could reshape how platforms compete for younger users and ad budgets.
What’s next: investors will watch for any timetable or preliminary findings from Turkey’s watchdog, and whether Meta responds publicly or adjusts product settings for the market. Beyond that, Wall Street’s next major checkpoint is Meta’s next earnings report, which an earnings calendar lists as April 29 (unconfirmed). (Wallstreethorizon)
