Meta platforms like Facebook and Instagram may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA).

• DSA was enacted last year by EU that makes digital companies liable for disinformation, shopping scams, child abuse and other online harms.

Reasons for the investigation against Meta platforms

• Concerns regarding the platform's age-verification tools.
  • Users are meant to be at least 13 years old to use Facebook or Instagram.
• Could exploit the weaknesses and inexperience of children and stimulate addictive behavior.
• Could reinforce children to watch increasingly disturbing content (Rabbit hole effect).

Social media’s Impact on children

• Cyberbullying and Online Harassment: that can lead to emotional distress, anxiety, and even depression.
• Phones replacing child cuddling: cuddling releases the ‘Bonding hormone Oxytocin’ which helps children manage stress.
• Excessive screen time: can lead to reduced physical activity, poor sleep patterns, and other health-related issues like obesity, diabetes, etc.
• Distorted sense of reality: that leads to difficulty in children in deciding what is normal and what is not normal.
• Enhancing creativity: children express their creativity, share their ideas, and showcase their talents through various mediums such as art, writing, or video content on social media.