UK Watchdog Opens Investigation into Meta Over Instagram Instants Safety Risks

LONDON: Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom has opened its first formal investigation into Meta under the country’s Online Safety Act, examining whether the company adequately assessed potential safety risks before launching Instagram’s Instants feature.

Instants, introduced in May, allows Instagram users to share content that disappears after it has been viewed. Ofcom is investigating whether Meta carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of illegal content and potential harm to children before introducing the feature.

George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, said online safety rules require platforms to assess risks before making significant changes to their services. He stressed that safety measures should be incorporated into platform design from the beginning rather than added later.

Meta said it takes its obligations under the Online Safety Act seriously and rejected any suggestion that it had failed to assess the feature’s risks. The company said it had conducted a risk analysis and briefed Ofcom several times before launching Instants.

According to Meta, the feature includes several safeguards, including restrictions on screenshots, reshares and forwarding. It also has no public feed, while protections designed for teenage users are automatically applied. Meta said it would cooperate with Ofcom throughout the investigation.

The investigation comes as Britain steps up enforcement of its Online Safety Act, which places legal obligations on social media platforms, search engines and other online services to address illegal content and protect children. Under the legislation, companies are required to conduct risk assessments and introduce appropriate safety measures.

Ofcom can impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of a company’s qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater, if a company fails to comply with its legal obligations.

The regulator has previously opened investigations involving online suicide discussion forums, pornography websites, file-sharing services allegedly used to distribute child sexual abuse material and platforms such as 4chan. The Meta investigation marks the first formal Ofcom probe into the company specifically under the Online Safety Act.

Meta has previously challenged aspects of Ofcom’s implementation of the legislation, including requirements concerning information that companies must provide to the regulator and the fees charged by Ofcom.

The latest investigation could further intensify scrutiny of Meta’s approach to safety on its social media platforms, particularly concerning protections for children and the risks associated with new platform features.