Online gambling and minors: Brussels targets Snapchat, YouTube, Apple and Google
The Digital Services Act ushers in a new era of accountability for tech giants. Gambling doesn’t only take place around cards or inside virtual casinos. There’s a subtler, more pervasive form that infiltrates social media feeds, video platforms and mobile apps. It’s the gamble of false safety – the illusion of protection that big tech often promises but rarely delivers. This is precisely where the European Commission has chosen to intervene, launching an unprecedented investigation into Snapchat, YouTube, Apple and Google, accused of failing to protect minors online.
These are the first official investigations conducted under the new child protection guidelines established by the Digital Services Act (DSA) – the regulatory framework through which Brussels aims to hold digital platforms legally accountable for safeguarding young users.
Age verification under scrutiny
At the heart of the inquiry are the age assurance systems meant to prevent children from accessing inappropriate content. In practice, however, these mechanisms often prove little more than symbolic barriers. A falsified birth date or a few quick clicks are enough to bypass them.
The Commission has asked Snapchat to clarify how it enforces the under-13 ban stated in its own terms of service, and what measures it takes to stop the promotion of prohibited products such as e-cigarettes or controlled substances. YouTube, meanwhile, must explain the workings of its recommendation algorithm – accused of steering younger users towards harmful or disturbing content.
Previous studies have shown that simple searches related to fitness or dieting have led teens to videos promoting eating disorders and self-harming behaviours. The line between entertainment and exposure to risk, it seems, is dangerously thin.
Apple and Google in the spotlight: the risk hidden in apps
The EU’s attention extends beyond social media. Both the Apple App Store and Google Play – the two main gateways for downloading mobile apps – are now under scrutiny.
Brussels wants to understand how these platforms prevent minors from downloading illegal or harmful applications: not only violent or sexualised content, but also apps that simulate gambling or enable the creation of non-consensual sexual imagery, known as nudify apps.
The most alarming issue concerns gambling-style apps disguised as harmless games. Behind their colourful, gamified interfaces, these programmes replicate the same mechanisms of online casinos – instant rewards, microtransactions and randomised prizes. They encourage behaviour patterns rooted in risk and reward, effectively teaching children how to gamble without ever calling it gambling.
“The safety of minors is not optional”
“The Commission will do whatever it takes to ensure the physical and mental well-being of children and teenagers online,” declared Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Technological Sovereignty.
With the Digital Services Act, the EU has transformed child protection from a moral duty into a legal obligation. Platforms must prove that they have effective and verifiable prevention systems in place – not just symbolic gestures or checkbox policies. The era of self-regulation, when tech giants could define their own rules, is coming to an end.
The new face of digital gambling
This investigation opens a broader debate about the evolution of gambling in the digital age. Even outside traditional betting environments, platforms now expose minors to hidden forms of wagering – through advertising, in-game loot boxes or prize-based mechanics.
It’s a grey area where entertainment overlaps with risk, and the same psychological triggers that sustain user engagement – notifications, bonuses, levels, streaks – mirror the variable reward principle that underpins gambling addiction.
Europe between innovation and protection
Brussels faces not only a regulatory challenge, but also a cultural one. The EU wants to prove it can balance innovation with protection, avoiding both moral panic and laissez-faire. The aim is to create a digital ecosystem that values transparency and responsibility, where major platforms can no longer hide behind excuses of technical complexity or user freedom.
But the challenge is immense. Verifying the age of millions of users in a global and largely anonymous environment requires both technological innovation and a cultural shift. No algorithm, however advanced, can replace human accountability.
New model of digital responsibility
The Commission has announced plans to work with national authorities to identify the platforms posing the highest risks to minors, stepping up monitoring efforts and enforcement. But beyond compliance, this marks a political turning point.
By demanding accountability from Snapchat, YouTube, Apple and Google, Brussels is signalling a shift towards shared digital responsibility – where growth and ethics must coexist, and where protecting children is not a burden, but a benchmark of credibility.
Because in an age where every click can feel like a bet, the real gamble is not playing – it’s allowing the youngest users to play without rules.
This article was first published in Italian on 15 October 2025.
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