EU Investigates Meta For Child Safety Breaches

The European Union regulators announced on Thursday an investigation into potential breaches of child safety rules by Meta’s social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram, which could result in significant fines.

Under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect last year, tech companies must enhance efforts to address illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

The European Commission announced an in-depth investigation into Facebook and Instagram over concerns that they haven’t sufficiently mitigated risks to children.

The regulator’s concerns relate to children accessing inappropriate content. Meta submitted a risk assessment report in September.

Also Read: EU Investigates Suspected Violations by Meta Platforms

The EU executive said in a statement, “The Commission is concerned that the systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as create so-called ‘rabbit-hole effects.” 

“In addition, the Commission is also concerned about age-assurance and verification methods put in place by Meta.”

Meta is currently under scrutiny by the EU for disseminating election disinformation, a pressing issue preceding the upcoming critical European Parliament elections.

Breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) could result in fines of up to 6% of the company’s annual global revenue.