The European Commission said Thursday that Facebook and Instagram are being officially looked into because of worries about child safety. Since the bloc’s new online rules, the Digital Services Act (DSA), went into effect last August, parent company Meta has been asked for a lot of information. This is what the procedures are about.
This could be a big deal because the formal procedures give EU law enforcers more investigative power, like the ability to do things like inspect offices or take temporary measures. Any proven violations of the DSA could lead to fines of up to 6% of Meta’s global annual turnover.
In terms of the DSA, Meta’s two social networks are very large online platforms (VLOPs). This means that the company has to follow an extra set of rules that are directly overseen by the EU. These rules require the company to look at and reduce systemic risks on Facebook and Instagram, such as those related to the mental health of children.
During a meeting with reporters, top Commission officials said they think Meta failed to properly evaluate and reduce the risks to children.
They were especially worried about how powerful its social networks are and what they called the “rabbit hole effect,” which is when a child watches a video and is then pushed to watch more similar content by the platforms’ algorithms that suggest content.
Commission officials gave examples of content that could be bad for minors’ mental health, such as content that encourages depressive thoughts or content that supports a bad body image.
They are also worried that Meta’s methods for making sure users are of legal age might be too easy for kids to get around.
One of the main questions behind all of these complaints is how can we be sure who uses the service and how well do the age limits work, especially at keeping people underage from using the service? That’s what a top Commission official told the press today. “This is part of our investigation to see how well the steps Meta has taken to deal with this issue are working as well.”
The EU thinks Meta broke DSA Articles 28, 34, and 35 all together. Right now, the Commission is going to look into how the two sites protect children in more detail.
Meta has been reached and is waiting to hear back.
Last month, the EU started a similar investigation into the design of the video-sharing app TikTok because it might be too addicting.
Also Read: Tiktok’s Rival to Instagram is Expected to Be Called Tiktok Notes
Meta’s social networks have already been the subject of two DSA probes by the Commission. It said last month that it would look into separate worries about how Facebook and Instagram handle election integrity.
What do you say about this story? Visit Parhlo World For more.
