EU Commission Investigates Snapchat’s Child Safety Measures

The European Commission has launched formal proceedings to investigate whether Snapchat is providing a sufficient level of safety, privacy, and security for children online. The investigation focuses on the platform’s compliance with the Digital Services Act (DSA), a comprehensive set of EU rules designed to regulate online intermediaries and protect users from illegal content and systemic risks.

At the heart of the probe are concerns that Snapchat may have breached the DSA by exposing minors to severe risks, including grooming attempts and recruitment for criminal purposes. The Commission is also examining whether the platform has facilitated access to information regarding the sale of illegal goods, such as drugs, or age-restricted products, including alcohol and vapes according to an official announcement from the European Commission.

This regulatory action signals an intensification of the EU’s effort to hold “Incredibly Large Online Platforms” (VLOPs) accountable for the societal risks their designs and policies may create. For a platform like Snapchat, which relies heavily on ephemeral communication and a young user base, the stakes are particularly high as regulators scrutinize the effectiveness of its age verification and moderation systems.

The investigation is not an isolated event but part of a broader trend of EU oversight into how US-based tech giants manage child safety. Recent reports indicate that the European Commission is also scrutinizing other major players, including Apple, Google, and YouTube, over similar concerns regarding the adequacy of their child protection measures.

Allegations of Grooming and Criminal Recruitment

The European Commission suspects that the platform’s current architecture may allow adults to masquerade as young users. This deception reportedly enables bad actors to contact children with the intent to recruit them for illegal activities or to exploit them sexually as reported by Euronews.

The risk is amplified by the scale of the platform’s reach within the European Union. According to the company’s latest transparency report, approximately 94.5 million Europeans had a Snapchat account in 2025 per Euronews. With such a vast number of users, any systemic failure in safety protocols can potentially impact millions of minors across the bloc.

Regulators are specifically looking into whether account settings that are intended to protect minors are actually undermining their safety. The Commission’s investigation will focus on five key areas to determine if Snapchat’s internal safeguards are sufficient to prevent predators from accessing vulnerable youth.

The Digital Services Act: A New Standard for Online Safety

The Digital Services Act (DSA) represents a paradigm shift in how the EU manages the digital space. Rather than reacting to individual pieces of illegal content, the DSA requires platforms to conduct systemic risk assessments and implement mitigation measures to prevent harm. The investigation into Snapchat follows a detailed review of the platform’s risk assessments conducted between 2023 and 2025, as well as additional information received in October 2025 regarding age verification and illegal activity per Euronews.

Henna Virkkunen, the executive vice-president for tech sovereignty, security and democracy, emphasized the necessity of these standards. “From grooming and exposure to illegal products to account settings that undermine minors’ safety, Snapchat appears to have overlooked that the Digital Services Act demands high safety standards for all users,” Virkkunen stated according to Euronews. She added that the investigation would closely examine the company’s compliance with the legislation.

Under the DSA, failure to comply with safety obligations can lead to significant penalties. While the current phase marks the start of formal proceedings, the outcome could lead to “further enforcement” if the Commission finds that the platform’s measures are inadequate.

Key Focus Areas of the Investigation

• Grooming and Exploitation: Investigating how adults masquerade as minors to target children for sexual exploitation or criminal recruitment.
• Illegal Goods: Assessing the prevalence of information regarding the sale of narcotics and other illegal substances.
• Age-Restricted Products: Evaluating the platform’s role in exposing minors to vapes and alcohol.
• Account Settings: Determining if default or available settings undermine the safety of young users.
• Age Verification: Reviewing the effectiveness of the tools used to ensure users meet the minimum age requirements.

A Broader Crackdown on Sizeable Tech’s Child Protection

The scrutiny facing Snapchat is part of a wider European effort to purge the digital ecosystem of risks to children. The European Commission has signaled that no platform is exempt from these requirements, regardless of its business model. This includes not only social media apps but also hardware and search providers. Reports indicate that Apple, Google, and YouTube are also facing questions regarding whether they protect children sufficiently on their platforms.

This systemic approach reflects the EU’s goal of creating a “safe by design” digital environment. By forcing platforms to analyze their own risks and prove their mitigation strategies, the Commission aims to move away from a “catch-and-remove” model of moderation toward one of prevention.

As the formal proceedings move forward, Snapchat has the opportunity to propose changes to its policies and practices. The company may implement stricter age verification hurdles or modify its discovery algorithms to limit the ability of adults to find and contact minors. However, the Commission will evaluate these changes against the strict mandates of the DSA to ensure they are not merely cosmetic but provide genuine protection.

The outcome of this case will likely set a precedent for how other social media platforms operate within the European Union, potentially forcing a global shift in how youth-oriented apps handle user safety and identity verification.

The next confirmed step in this process is the continuation of the formal proceedings, which will involve a detailed examination of Snapchat’s responses to the Commission’s findings and a potential determination on whether further enforcement actions are required.

Do you reckon current social media safety tools are enough to protect minors, or is government regulation the only way to ensure safety? Share your thoughts in the comments below.