The European Union has launched another investigation into concerns that Meta is not doing enough to protect the mental and physical health of children using Facebook and Instagram, The Verge reports.
As part of the investigation, the European Commission will assess whether Meta has violated the rules set out in the European Digital Services Act (DSA).
The European Commission states that the user interface and algorithms of Facebook and Instagram can cause “behavioral addictions in children” and create a “rabbit hole effect”.
The EU is also concerned that Meta does not do enough to prevent minors from accessing inappropriate content, and its age verification tools may not be “reasonable, proportionate and effective.”
🚨 Today we open formal #DSA investigation against #Meta.
We are not convinced that Meta 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 on its platforms Facebook and Instagram. pic.twitter.com/WxPwgE5Opc
— Thierry Breton (@ThierryBreton) May 16, 2024
In addition, it will be assessed whether Meta’s content recommendation systems and standard privacy settings provide a sufficient level of privacy, security and protection for minors.
No formal deadline has been set for the proceedings, but the EU is allowed to take interim enforcement action against Meta while the case is ongoing. If Meta is found to be in violation of the DSA rules, it could be fined up to 6% of the company’s global revenue.
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