Brazil's Data Protection Authority (ANPD) Probes Addictive Social Media Algorithms and Child Safety

Brazil's National Data Protection Authority (Autoridade Nacional de Proteção de Dados - ANPD), in collaboration with child rights organization Instituto Alana, has launched formal administrative enforcement proceedings against major social networking and video-sharing platforms. The probe scrutinizes whether recommendation algorithms exploit the psychological vulnerabilities of minors to artificially prolong engagement.

Regulatory findings indicate potential breaches of Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD) and the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA). In particular, investigators highlighted the absence of rigorous age-assurance barriers and the unauthorized behavioral profiling of children to feed compulsive feed loops.

The ANPD has mandated corrective measures, including the elimination of passive login-free recommendation feeds for young audiences and the disabling of automated behavioral hooks that drive excessive screen time during late hours.

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