The EU has initiated a formal investigation into Meta’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, due to concerns over the company’s handling of child protection issues, the Commission announced on Thursday.
TechCrunch reports that the European Union’s recent announcement of a formal investigation into Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram has raised serious questions about the social media giants’ commitment to protecting minors on their platforms. The investigation, which comes under the purview of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), will scrutinize Meta’s compliance with the stringent regulations set forth for very large online platforms (VLOPs).
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg arrives for the 8th annual Breakthrough Prize awards ceremony at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California on November 3, 2019. (Photo by JOSH EDELSON / AFP) (Photo by JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
At the heart of the investigation are concerns about the potential negative impact of Facebook and Instagram on children’s mental health. Commission officials have highlighted the issue of addictive design and the “rabbit hole effect,” where algorithmic content recommendation engines may push minors to view more content similar to what they have already watched, potentially exposing them to harmful material such as depression-related content or content promoting an unhealthy body image.
Another critical aspect of the investigation revolves around the effectiveness of Meta’s age assurance methods. The Commission suspects that these measures may be too easy for children to circumvent, allowing underage users to access the platforms. A senior Commission official emphasized the importance of this issue, stating, “One of the underlying questions of all of these grievances is how can we be sure who accesses the service and how effective are the age gates — particularly for avoiding that underage users access the service.”
The formal proceedings unlock additional investigatory powers for EU enforcers, including the ability to conduct office inspections and apply interim measures. If Meta is found to have breached the DSA, the penalties could be severe, reaching up to 6 percent of the company’s global annual turnover.
In response to the investigation, a Meta spokesperson stated that the company has spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect young people online. Meta claims to use a combination of self-declared age and AI assessments to detect underage users, and allows people to report suspected underage accounts. The company also stated that it has been able to stop 96 percent of teens who attempted to edit their birthdays from under 18 to over 18 on Instagram.
Read more at TechCrunch here.
Lucas Nolan is a reporter for Breitbart News covering issues of free speech and online censorship.
