EU Gives TikTok, Meta, Snap and YouTube Deadlines to Detail Child-Protection Measures; Musk's X Criticized for Insufficient Content Moderators

EU requests tech giants to detail child protection measures by end of November and early December, with a formal investigation threatened for non-compliance; Musk's X under fire for paltry content moderation team compared to competitors.

The European Union has given TikTok, YouTube, Meta Platforms, and Snap a tight deadline to submit additional information on their child protection measures. TikTok and YouTube have until November 30, while Meta Platforms and Snap have until December 1 to respond. This action is in line with the implementation of the Digital Services Act which regulates online platforms and their handling of harmful content.
A subsequent investigation may occur if the European Union finds the companies' efforts to moderate content, specifically harmful content towards children, unsatisfactory. The Digital Services Act allows regulators to impose fines of up to 6% of a company's total revenue if they fail to adequately remove harmful content.
The European Commission has voiced concern over Elon Musk's social media platform, 'X', having significantly fewer content moderators in comparison to tech giants like Google and TikTok. Currently, 'X' has 2,294 content moderators, while YouTube has 16,974, Google Play has 7,319 and TikTok has 6,125.
Musk's 'X' has drawn concerns, particularly after laying off a number of employees responsible for monitoring and regulating content, leading to increased disinformation on the platform. The senior European Commission official noted, however, that ‘X’ might feel compelled to increase its content moderation numbers to match its competitors due to “peer pressure”, an important element of the Digital Services Act.
From February 17, 2024, all online intermediary service providers will have to comply with the Digital Services Act, not just the 19 services, including 'X', that were named in April. The Commission has more than doubled its enforcing staff from 50 to 120 to handle the challenges Big Tech companies pose.

South China Morning Post