EU starts formal investigation into Facebook, Instagram over child protection policies

The European Union (EU) on Thursday (May 16) started a formal investigation into Facebook and Instagram on allegations that the Meta-owned platforms are leading to addictive behaviour in children.

The investigation is being carried out under a mammoth law called the Digital Services Act (DSA) which forces the largest tech firms in the world to take more steps to protect European users online and remove any illegal content.

This is the second investigation which has been launched into Meta. Last month, another probe was launched by the European Union over concerns that Facebook and Instagram are not countering disinformation.

Also Read: EU flexes arms as it launches probe against Meta over disinformation concerns

"We are not convinced that it has done enough to comply with the DSA obligations to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical and mental health of young Europeans," said EU's internal market commissioner, Thierry Breton.

"We are sparing no effort to protect our children," he stated.

Meanwhile, Meta's spokesperson tried to defend the company and claimed that it had taken steps to protect young users. 

"We want young people to have safe, age-appropriate experiences online and have spent a decade developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect them," said the spokesperson.

"This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission," the spokesperson added.

EU suspects Meta's systems 'may stimulate behavioural addictions in children' 

The European Commission, which is the tech regulator of the European Union, in Thursday's (May 16) announcement said that it suspected the systems of the platform "may stimulate behavioural addictions in children".

The commission also raised another issue which was the so-called "rabbit hole" effect. This happens when users get related content based on an algorithm, which in a few cases leads to more extreme content.

The commission also expressed concern that the age-verification tools of Meta may not be that effective.

According to DSA, there are strict rules for protecting children and ensuring that their privacy and security are not hampered online. The EU fears that Meta may not be taking enough steps to meet these obligations.

Watch: Meta's oversight board probes handling of AI-generated explicit images

In a statement, the European Union said that the "opening of formal proceedings does not prejudge its outcome". No deadline has been set for the completion of the probe.

The DSA is present within the powerful legal armoury of the European Union to keep a check on big tech companies.

Facebook and Instagram fall among 23 "very large" online platforms which need to comply with the DSA or face the risk of fines which can be as high as six per cent of the total global turnover of the platform.

It can also impose a ban on social media platforms for serious and repeated violations. Other social media platforms which have been under the scrutiny of DSA are Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube.

(With inputs from agencies)