ALBAWABA - The European Union has launched an official investigation against Facebook and Instagram on Thursday regarding concerns that the Meta-owned platforms are encouraging addictive behavior in young people.
The probe was opened under the Digital Services Act (DSA), where Meta is listed among 23 "very large" online platforms, which face an expanded set of regulations around risk, safety and protection of illegal content, with a potential fine of up to 6 percent of a company’s revenue if these regulations are found to be broken.
Thierry Breton, EU internal market commissioner stated that "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," adding “we are sparing no effort to protect our children.”
Another concern for the EU is what is known as the "rabbit hole" effect, which is when users are presented with content similar to their previous interests based on an algorithm, leading to more sensitive or strong content in some instances, with the commission alleging that Meta lacks effective age verification method to protect minors.
A Meta spokesperson defended the company, as reported by AFP, stating that “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,” adding that “this is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission.”
