Brussels opens investigation into Snapchat amid concern over children’s safety | Snapchat
Brussels has launched an investigation into Snapchat over concerns that the social messaging app exposes children to grooming, sexual abuse and other crimes.
In a separate decision on Thursday, the European Commission also said four pornographic websites failed to prevent minors from viewing adult content.
The investigations into the five technology companies were launched under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which has come under criticism from Donald Trump since it came into force two years ago. Aiming to protect European society from a wide range of internet harms, the DSA includes child safety provisions to combat cyberbullying, exposure to adult content and illegal products.
The announcements follow a landmark decision in a Los Angeles court that found two social media companies – Meta and YouTube – deliberately produced addictive products that harmed a young user. The EU is considering whether to follow Australia and ban social media for under-16s.
Opening its first case against Snapchat, the commission said it suspected the messaging app of allowing its services to be misused by adults posing as minors to lure children into sexual exploitation and other criminal activities. Regulators also fear the app could become a source of information about drugs and alcohol and age-restricted products such as e-cigarettes.
Snapchat reportedly has 94.7 million monthly users in the EU and is hugely popular among teens and teenagers.
According to Snapchat’s own terms and conditions, users must be at least 13 years old. But EU regulators believe the company failed to ensure compliance with this age limit. They also believe that users are not provided with adequate guidance on privacy and security features, and that mechanisms for reporting illegal content are not user-friendly.
The latest decision means EU regulators will conduct a detailed investigation and may order the company to take preventive steps to protect children pending a final decision.
In response, a Snapchat spokesperson said the safety and well-being of its users is a top priority. “Snapchat is designed to help people connect with close friends and family in a positive, trustworthy environment with privacy and security built in from the start, including additional protections for young people,” the spokesperson said. “We are continually reviewing, strengthening and investing in these safeguards as online risks evolve.”
In a separate announcement on Thursday, the commission accused four pornographic websites – Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX and XVideos – of failing to prevent children from accessing adult content.
Following an investigation launched last May, the commission concluded that the four websites “failed to diligently identify and evaluate the risks their platforms pose to minors.” To access the sites, children and teenagers simply clicked a button stating they were over 18, a self-declaration system deemed ineffective by EU regulators.
Companies can now review the findings before any final decisions are made.
They can end the investigation by producing age verification forms deemed effective by EU regulators. However, if the complaint is accepted, the four websites could be fined up to 6% of global annual turnover.
Pornhub and Stripchat’s parent companies have been approached for comment. A Brussels-based lawyer who is understood to have previously represented the parent companies of XVideos and XNXX in EU legal proceedings has also been contacted for comment.
