The European Commission has opened a case against Meta because it believes it promotes addiction among minors.

The investigation is based on the Digital Services Act (LSD), one of the pillars of regulation of digital platforms in the European bloc. This is the sixth official investigation launched by the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, under the legislation, and the second against Meta.

In this particular case, the investigation seeks to determine whether the two social networks are fulfilling their obligations regarding the protection of minors, including actually verifying the age of their users. In its statement, the Commission expressed concern that the algorithms used by Meta on Facebook and Instagram encourage addiction or the so-called rabbit hole effect.

This effect occurs when an algorithm encourages a user to explore a specific topic in a loop that leads to manipulated or harmful content. “In addition, the Commission remains concerned about Meta’s age verification practices,” the note said.

During the investigation, the Commission also seeks to determine whether platforms are complying with their obligation to “take appropriate and proportionate measures to ensure a high level of privacy and security for minors.”

The European Commission already launched an investigation into Facebook and Instagram at the end of April over suspicions that the two platforms were failing to meet their obligations to combat disinformation. The LSD, which came into force at the end of August last year, defines particularly strict rules for a group of platforms considered giants due to the number of users, such as X, TikTok or meta-services.

In total, some 23 firms and Internet sites (including three dedicated to pornography: Pornhub, Stripchat and Xvideos) are under close EU surveillance.