Report from Politico
In Brief – The European Commission has announced an investigation into concerns that Snapchat is failing to adequately protect children under its authority as the lead enforcer of the Digital Services Act (DSA) for the largest online platforms. The investigation will examine multiple issues, including the platform’s age verification system, which relies on self-declarations by the user, whether the platform sufficiently prevents harmful contact with minors, such as grooming, exploitation, or criminal recruitment, as well as the sale of illegal or age-restricted goods. Officials are also scrutinizing Snapchat’s default settings, including those involving friend recommendations and persistent notifications, which may expose minors to risks and encourage excessive use. The commission says that the probe is based on its analysis of Snap’s DSA risk assessment reports in comparison with the 2025 DSA Guidelines on the protection of minors, as well as information gathered by the Netherlands Consumer and Competition authority, which has undertaken an investigation of the platform under its authority to enforce the DSA in that country.
Context – Protecting teens from online ills is a global digital policy phenomenon. Several EU countries have put the issue at the top of their agenda and are pressuring the Commission to do more. The DSA text defines online risks at a very high level, such as “any actual or foreseeable negative effects in relation to… minors”. The specifics get worked out platform-by-platform in investigations. The Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs), there are currently 25, face the strictest rules and enforcement by the Commission. Active investigations are underway against Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, AliExpress, Temu, Apple, Google, Booking and Microsoft, as well as four adult sites. Failing to effectively protect young users is part of the probes of each of the social media and adult content platforms. To get a perspective on the pace of these investigations, the TikTok investigation began in February 2024, and the investigations of Facebook and Instagram were kicked off in May 2024. Each is still underway.