EU Targets Snapchat in Major Probe Over Child Safety and Illegal Goods

European regulators have launched an investigation into Snap Inc. under the Digital Services Act, citing failures to prevent child grooming and the sale of illegal goods.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 26, 2026, 9:44 AM EDT

Source: Reuters

Core Allegations Under the DSA

The probe is being conducted under the Digital Services Act (DSA), a landmark set of rules designed to hold "Very Large Online Platforms" accountable for the content they host.

Child Grooming: Regulators suspect Snapchat lacks sufficient safeguards to prevent predatory users from contacting children for sexual or criminal exploitation.

Illegal Goods: The Commission flagged "ineffective" content moderation tools that fail to block the sale of drugs, alcohol, and vapes.

Inadequate Age Verification: The current "self-declaration" tool—where users simply state their age—is being labeled as insufficient by EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen.

Default Settings & Design: Concerns were raised regarding default account settings that may undermine minor safety and the presence of "dark patterns" in the app's design.