On Tuesday, Ofcom began a formal inquiry into Meta, zeroing in on the Instagram Instants feature introduced last month.
Instants lets users share content that disappears after a single view, raising concerns about illegal material and child safety. Ofcom wants to know whether Meta carried out a "suitable and sufficient" risk assessment before its May launch.
George Lusty, director of enforcement at Ofcom, warned that "significant changes to platforms must be risk assessed before launch" and that safety must be built in, not added later.
Meta replied that it had conducted a risk analysis, briefed Ofcom on the feature, and incorporated protections such as screenshot blocking, no public feed, and automatic teen account safeguards.
This probe follows last year’s investigation of an online suicide forum and earlier probes into porn sites, file‑sharing services, and 4chan. Ofcom can fine up to £18 million or 10% of worldwide revenue if non‑compliance is found.
Meta has already filed legal challenges against Ofcom over the act’s scope and fee structure.
Ofcom will review the evidence and may impose penalties, while Meta remains prepared to contest the regulator’s findings.