The European Union is conducting a rigorous investigation into Facebook and Instagram, aiming to ascertain if these platforms are excessively addictive, leading to detrimental effects on the physical and mental health of children. The inquiry will also delve into whether these social media giants have implemented robust measures to verify users’ ages and how they curate content for young users.
Several prominent tech companies, including Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram), are currently under intense scrutiny for potential violations of the EU’s stringent Digital Services Act (DSA). If found guilty, they could face substantial fines, up to 6% of their annual global revenue.
Meta claims it has “spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies” to protect children. “This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission,” the company stated.
In September, Meta submitted a report detailing the risks associated with its platforms to comply with the DSA requirements. The EU has now initiated formal proceedings based on this report.
“The Commission is concerned that the systems of Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioural addictions in children, as well as create so-called ‘rabbit-hole effects’,” the EU stated in its announcement. Rabbit-hole effects refer to algorithms suggesting increasingly harmful content once a user engages with similar material.
Age assurance, or how Meta verifies the ages of its users, is another critical area of concern for the EU. “The Commission is also concerned about age-assurance and verification methods put in place by Meta,” the statement added.
The issue of algorithms promoting harmful content has also been a significant concern for the UK communications watchdog, Ofcom, as it prepares to enforce the Online Safety Act. Like many social networks, Meta requires users to be at least 13. However, a recent Ofcom report revealed that many younger children are active on these platforms, sometimes with parental consent.
EU Commissioner Thierry Breton expressed his reservations on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “We are not convinced that Meta has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations—to mitigate the risks of negative effects on the physical and mental health of young Europeans on its platforms Facebook and Instagram.” He reiterated the EU’s unwavering commitment to “sparing no effort to protect youth.”
Commissioner Margrethe Vestager echoed these concerns, stating, “We have concerns that Facebook and Instagram may stimulate behavioural addiction and that the methods of age verification that Meta has put in place on their services are inadequate.”
In addition to this investigation, Meta is already under EU scrutiny for issues related to political disinformation.
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