European Union (EU) authorities have initiated a formal probe into Facebook and Instagram due to concerns about child safety, according to a Thursday announcement by the European Commission.
The Commission has expressed worries that the platforms’ systems, including their algorithms, might exploit the vulnerabilities and naivety of minors, potentially leading to addictive behaviours and exacerbating the so-called ‘rabbit hole’ effect.
This effect involves pulling users deeper into increasingly disturbing content.
Thierry Breton, the European Commissioner for Internal Market, remarked that Meta has not sufficiently demonstrated compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA).
As “very large online platforms” (VLOPs), Facebook and Instagram are required to adhere to stringent DSA regulations.
The investigation aims to protect children’s physical and mental well-being and their rights, assessing Meta’s adherence to DSA mandates, especially concerning minors’ privacy settings in their recommendation systems.
Meta could be penalized up to 6% of its global turnover if found in violation of these regulations.
Additionally, Meta is undergoing another DSA inquiry related to deceptive advertising and political content on Facebook and Instagram ahead of the upcoming European Parliament elections in June.
In March, the EU investigated tech giants Apple, Google, and Meta for potential violations of new digital competition rules.
The Commission has warned that Apple, Google, and Meta may not be adhering to the new digital competition rules, opening investigations that could result in significant fines.
These investigations come just 18 days after tech giants were compelled to comply with the Digital Markets Act, opening up their services to competitors.
The EU executive body will examine Alphabet, the parent company of Google, and Apple’s efforts to allow developers to direct consumers to offers outside their app stores.
Additionally, Google will be investigated to determine if its search results favour shopping, flight bookings, or other specialized search services over competitors.
