Facebook and Instagram, owned by Meta, have come under scrutiny by the European Union (EU) over concerns that they are causing addictive behavior in minors. The EU announced an investigation to determine whether the platforms are fulfilling their obligations to protect young Europeans using the platforms.
The European Commissioner for the Internal Market, Thierry Breton, expressed concerns that Meta has not done enough to mitigate the risks of negative effects on the physical and mental health of young Europeans using the platforms. This investigation is part of a broader effort by the EU to monitor digital platforms for potential harm to users, particularly minors.
Under the Digital Services Law (LSD), this is the sixth formal inquiry launched by the European Commission against digital platforms and the second targeting Meta. The focus of this investigation is to assess whether Facebook and Instagram are fulfilling their obligations to protect minors, including verifying the age of their users.
Meta has defended its efforts to provide safe online experiences for young people through implementing tools and policies over the past decade. However, there are specific concerns about algorithms used by Meta on these platforms which may contribute to addictive behaviors or lead users down a rabbit hole into manipulated or dangerous content.
In addition, age verification methods used by Meta will also be investigated as well as measures taken to ensure privacy and security of minors on these platforms. The EU’s heightened scrutiny of digital platforms under LSD imposes strict rules on large platforms like Meta, X, and TikTok which will be closely monitored for compliance with these rules.
Overall, this investigation is a call for greater accountability from social media companies like Facebook and Instagram in protecting young people’s health and safety while online.
