EU investigating Meta over failure to protect children from 'addictive' algorithms
Suspects Facebook and Instagram leading minors down 'rabbit hole'
The European Union has launched an investigation into Meta over suspicions that its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram cause behavioural addiction in children and fail to protect them from inappropriate content.
The probe will also look into whether Meta's data collection practices and the efficiency of its age-verification tools comply with the Digital Services Act (DSA). The DSA requires large online services to aggressively police their platforms for illegal content and implement measures to mitigate risks to children.
"We will now investigate in-depth the potential addictive and 'rabbit hole' effects of the platforms, the effectiveness of their age verification tools, and the level of privacy afforded to minors in the functioning of recommender systems," said Thierry Breton, EU internal markets commissioner in a statement. "We are sparing no effort to protect our children."
The investigation will focus on the interface designs of Facebook and Instagram, which the Commission suspects could cause addictive behaviour among minors. It will also examine Meta's compliance with content moderation rules, and investigate measures in place to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content.
If the Commission concludes that Meta infringed the DSA, the company could face significant penalties, including fines of up to 6% of its annual global revenue, which amounted to $135 billion last year. Meta could also be forced to make changes to its products for European consumers.
Meta has faced similar criticism in the past, including lawsuits from US states over the use of "psychologically manipulative product features" to lure children. The company has denied these claims, insisting that its products are safe for young people.
Last month, the EU launched another investigation into Meta for potentially violating the bloc's new online content regulations.
It is also probing other tech giants, including TikTok and X over concerns related to content moderation, risk management and advertising transparency and the spread of disinformation.
In March, the bloc announced it was investigating Apple, Google and Meta over competition issues under the new Digital Markets Act (DMA).