Ofcom launches first Online Safety Act probe into Meta's Instagram Instants

Ofcom has opened its first formal investigation under the Online Safety Act into Meta's Instagram Instants feature, questioning whether the company properly assessed illegal‑content and child‑safety risks before the feature launched in May. Instants lets Instagram users share content that disappears after being viewed. Ofcom said it will check if Meta carried out a “suitable and sufficient” risk assessment for illegal material and for children’s safety prior to launch. George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, warned that the law requires significant platform changes to be risk‑assessed before release and that safety must be built in, not added later. He added that the regulator will act if providers fail to comply. Meta responded that it has taken its obligations seriously, stating it performed a risk analysis and briefed Ofcom several times before the feature went live. A company spokesperson highlighted built‑in protections such as screenshot blocking, no public feed, and automatic teen‑account safeguards, and pledged cooperation with the regulator. The probe follows Ofcom’s earlier investigations under the same act, which have covered a suicide discussion forum, pornography sites, file‑sharing services used for child sexual abuse material, and platforms like 4chan. The UK online safety regime forces social media, search engines and adult‑content providers to assess risks, verify ages and protect children, with fines up to £18 million or 10 % of global revenue for non‑compliance. Meta has previously challenged Ofcom over the act’s scope, fees and reporting demands, and faced a separate inquiry into its WhatsApp Business product earlier this year. ## Context The Online Safety Act aims to make UK digital services safer by requiring firms to identify and mitigate harmful content before new features launch. Regulators like Ofcom can impose heavy penalties if firms do not meet these standards.