European Commission and ACM join forces in DSA investigation into Snapchat
Summary
- ACM’s investigation into the sale of vapes through Snapchat will become part of a broader investigation by the European Commission.
- The Commission will investigate the protection of minors as well as exposure to illegal products through Snapchat, among other aspects.
- ACM will be part of the European Commission’s investigation team.
The investigation launched by the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM) into the availability of vapes on the Dutch online platform Snapchat will become part of a broader investigation by the European Commission into Snapchat. ACM will be part of the investigation team, which is led by the European Commission. The investigation will reveal whether or not the platform complies with the rules laid down in the Digital Services Act (DSA).
ACM announced in September 2025 that it would launch an investigation into Snapchat, following a request for enforcement that was filed by the Dutch Youth Smoking Prevention Foundation (in Dutch: Stichting Rookpreventie Jeugd). This foundation believed that Snapchat took insufficient measures in order to prevent vapes from being sold through their platform to minors. The Commission has since determined that the risks to Snapchat’s users are systemic in nature, and therefore fall under the stricter obligations for Very Large Online Platforms (VLOPs). One such example of this type of systemic risks is the negative impact on the protection of minors. That is why the Commission has launched a formal and more extensive investigation into Snapchat.
The European Commission’s investigation focuses on, among other aspects, age assurance, privacy and security settings, as well as the protection of minors from contact with users with harmful intent, such as sexual exploitation or recruitment for criminal activities. Exposure to illegal products, including vapes, will also be part of the investigation. In addition, the investigation team examines whether the platform has its systems for reporting illegal content in order. At the moment, it is not yet known when the investigation will be completed.
For more information, see the European Commission’s press release: Commission investigates Snapchat's compliance with child protection rules under the Digital Services (external website) .