EU investigates Facebook and Instagram over ‘failure to protect children online’

Meta is being investigated by the European Commission (Thibault Camus/AP)

The European Union has opened fresh investigations into Facebook and Instagram over suspicions that they are failing to protect children online, in violation of the bloc’s strict digital regulations for social media platforms.

It is the latest round of scrutiny for parent company Meta Platforms under the 27-nation EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a sweeping set of regulations that took effect last year with the goal of cleaning up online platforms and protecting internet users.