Instagram’s parent company Meta will be investigated in Europe for allegedly failing to protect children online from social media addiction, dangerous content and other harmful influences, regulators announced Thursday. .
The European Commission is investigating whether Meta violates the Digital Services Act. The Digital Services Act is a comprehensive law that came into effect last year and requires Big Tech companies to monitor content on their platforms.
Officials are concerned about Facebook and Instagram’s “potential to stimulate behavioral addictions in children” and the “rabbit hole effect” that keeps children glued to the apps, damaging their physical and mental health. He said there was.
The committee also questioned the effectiveness of Mehta’s age verification policy.
Thierry Breton, the European Union’s Commissioner for Internal Markets, said: “Meta is committed to complying with its DSA obligations and reducing the risk of harming the physical and mental health of European young people on its platforms Facebook and Instagram. We are not convinced that we have fully fulfilled our obligations,” wrote Thierry Breton, European Union Commissioner for Internal Market. X.
“We will spare no effort to protect our youth,” Brereton added.
Meta stock fell 1% in early trading Thursday.
The EU investigation is just the latest headache for Meta, which faces increased scrutiny in the United States over online child safety.
The social media giant is facing a massive lawsuit from 33 states alleging its apps are fueling a mental health crisis among young people, as well as accusations that Meta has labeled underage users as sex offenders. He also faces shocking charges from the state of New Mexico, alleging that he was exposed to
Meta boss Mark Zuckerberg was personally criticized by lawmakers over the company’s safety flaws during a high-profile Congressional hearing in January, and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) Carolina) declared that tech billionaires “have blood in their veins.” [his hands]”
Zuckerberg at one point stood up and apologized to the families of online child sexual abuse victims after Meta was criticized for failing to crack down on financial “sextortion” crimes on Facebook and Instagram. .
The European Commission announced that it had chosen to launch a formal investigation into the company’s practices after receiving a risk assessment report from Meta last September.
If Meta is found to have violated the Digital Services Act, it could face a hefty fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
A Meta spokesperson said the company looked forward to “sharing details of our work with the European Commission.”
“We want to provide young people with a safe and age-appropriate online experience, and we’ve spent 10 years developing more than 50 tools, features and resources designed to protect them. ,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. “This is a challenge facing the entire industry, which is why we continue to drive an industry-wide solution for age guarantees that applies to all apps that young people access.”
Intense scrutiny from regulators has not yet affected Meta’s profits.
The company’s stock price has increased 37% since the beginning of the year.
Meta announced its first-ever quarterly dividend earlier this year, and is expected to give Zuckerberg $700 million in annual profits.
