The Commission is concerned that the systems of both Facebook and Instagram, including their algorithms, may stimulate behavioral addictions in children, as well as create so-called ‘rabbit-hole effects’. In addition, the Commission is also concerned about age-assurance and verification methods put in place by Meta.
The EC’s investigation will focus on whether Meta effectively evaluates and addresses risks from its platforms’ interfaces. The EC is troubled by how Meta’s designs might exploit the vulnerabilities and lack of experience among minors, leading to addictive behaviors and reinforcing the so-called “rabbit hole” effect.
Such an assessment is crucial to mitigate potential risks to children’s physical and mental well-being and to ensure their rights are respected.
The EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into effect for all online platforms on February 17 this year, requires particularly large online platforms and search engines to implement additional measures to combat illegal online content and safeguard public safety.
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. This is a challenge the whole industry is facing, and we look forward to sharing details of our work with the European Commission.
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