Overview

• Commission Vice President Henna Virkkunen announced legally binding information requests to the three companies after concerns about inadequate protections for young users.
• Officials are probing whether YouTube’s age restrictions are easily bypassed and whether its recommendation algorithms encourage addictive use by children.
• Apple’s App Store and Google Play were asked to explain minors’ potential access to gambling and online casino apps.
• Snapchat faces questions about reported drug purchases by minors and indications that users under 13 can access the service despite its rules.
• The step is not a formal investigation, with companies able to respond or make changes, while Brussels also advances an expert group by year‑end and tests an EU digital age‑verification prototype; Meta already faces a separate formal probe.