The European Commission is investigating the social media platform Snapchat to assess whether it adequately protects users online under the rules of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

The Commission announced the launch of a formal investigation, citing concerns that Snapchat—particularly popular among teenagers—does not sufficiently protect minors from contact with users who may have malicious intentions, such as sexual exploitation or recruitment into criminal activities. It also suspects the platform may expose minors to content related to the sale of illegal products, including drugs, as well as restricted items such as alcohol, e-cigarettes, and vapes.

A key focus of the investigation is age verification. The Commission believes that Snapchat, which has around 97 million users in the EU, may lack a reliable system for verifying users’ ages. Although the platform is intended for users aged 13 and above, there are concerns it does not adequately determine whether users are under 17.

The investigation also examines risks related to so-called “grooming”—where adults pose as minors to approach children—as well as default account settings. Features such as the “find a friend” function and enabled notifications may not provide sufficient privacy and safety protections. In addition, the Commission is assessing whether Snapchat’s content moderation tools effectively prevent minors from accessing information about illegal sales.

European Commission Vice-President for Digital Affairs, Henna Virkkunen, stated: “Snapchat does not appear to have understood that the Digital Services Act imposes high safety standards for all users. Through this investigation, we will closely examine whether the platform complies with EU law.”

The Commission will now conduct an in-depth investigation, which may include requests for additional information, interviews, and inspections. It may also impose interim measures, issue a formal non-compliance decision, or accept commitments from Snapchat to address the identified issues.

Separately, the Commission announced preliminary findings that several adult content platforms—Pornhub, Stripchat, XNXX, and XVideos—may also be in breach of the DSA for failing to adequately protect minors from exposure to pornographic content.

“The message is very clear: if these platforms want to continue operating in Europe, they must implement effective age verification measures,” Virkkunen said.

According to the Commission, these platforms did not properly assess risks to underage users and failed to implement effective safeguards. Simple measures such as one-click age confirmations (“I am over 18”), content warnings, blurred images, or “adults only” labels are not considered sufficient.

The companies now have the right to review the case files and respond to the preliminary findings in writing. If the Commission ultimately determines non-compliance, it may impose fines of up to 6% of each company’s global annual turnover, along with periodic financial penalties.

This case is part of broader proceedings launched by the Commission on 27 May 2025 under the Digital Services Act, focusing on the protection of minors online.