European Commission reviews child safety on Snapchat, YouTube, app stores

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Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed Snapchat logo in this illustration taken April 4, 2023. —Reuters
Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed Snapchat logo in this illustration taken April 4, 2023. —Reuters
Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed Youtube logo in this illustration taken April 4, 2023. —Reuters
Children playground miniatures are seen in front of displayed Youtube logo in this illustration taken April 4, 2023. —Reuters

The European Commission is scrutinising safeguards for minors on Snapchat, YouTube, the Apple App Store and Google Play under its Digital Services Act (DSA), it said on Friday.

The Commission is asking the businesses to provide information on their age verification systems, as well as on how they prevent minors from accessing illegal products, including drugs and vapes, or harmful material, such as content promoting eating disorders.

“Today, alongside national authorities in the member states, we are assessing whether the measures taken so far by the platforms are indeed protecting children,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.

Google, in response, said it had already put in place measures to ensure its platforms offered age-appropriate experiences and had “robust” controls for parents.

“We keep expanding these efforts [and] continue to engage with the Commission on this critical area,” a Google spokesperson said.

The DSA is an EU landmark law that requires online companies to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content on their platforms.

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