BRUSSELS, June 23 — The European Commission (EC) is set to escalate a probe into Meta Platforms that alleges its social media offerings are designed to be addictive to children, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The Instagram parent has been under fire over concerns about the impact of its platforms on young users' well-being and online safety.
Here are some details:
The EC is preparing preliminary findings that accuse Meta’s Facebook and Instagram of using design practices that keep young users hooked.
Regulators have not set a date for when the findings will be announced.
Meta and the EC did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reuters could not independently verify the report.
The commission is considering curbs similar to those announced by the United Kingdom and other countries, after an expert panel delivers recommendations next month.
It first opened a probe into the company under the Digital Services Act in May 2024, due to concerns it had not adequately addressed risks to children.
In April, the European Union charged Meta with breaching its tech rules and said the tech giant must do more to block children under 13 from accessing the social networks.
In the United States, Meta has lobbied Congress for legal immunity from child-harm claims as the tech giant faces thousands of lawsuits from young users and their families, Reuters exclusively reported last week.
A Los Angeles jury reached a landmark verdict in March, finding Meta and Alphabet's Google negligent for designing social media platforms harmful to the youth.
