Meta Probed by EU Over Algos Hooking Kids to Instagram, Facebook

Meta Platforms Inc. is under investigation by the European Union over concerns its algorithms are illegally exploiting the weakness of children to get them addicted to Facebook and Instagram.

Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, announced the probe under the bloc’s tough new Digital Services Act, after preliminary checks revealed a raft of potential red flags such as the creation of so-called rabbit holes, which suck young users deeper and deeper into often inappropriate material on social media.

He said EU watchdogs aren’t convinced Meta has done enough “to mitigate the risks of negative effects to the physical ...