Ofcom investigates whether Meta assessed Instagram Instants’ risks before launch

Ofcom has opened a formal investigation to determine whether Meta adequately assessed the risks of Instagram Instants before launching the feature in the UK. The examination focuses on two areas: the possible presence of illegal content and risks to children. For now, the regulator has not concluded that the company breached the law or imposed any penalties.

What Ofcom will examine

Instants lets users send images that disappear after they have been viewed. The feature, launched in May 2026, represents a change to Instagram’s service that Ofcom will assess in light of the UK’s Online Safety Act. The law requires platforms to assess relevant risks before making significant changes to the design or operation of their services and to take steps to reduce those risks.

The regulator will check whether Meta carried out the required assessments and whether they were adequate before launch. George Lusty, Ofcom’s director of enforcement, said that preventive checks are essential for the safety of online services and maintained that protection must be built in from the design stage.

Meta’s position

Meta says it conducted a risk assessment and informed Ofcom about Instants on several occasions before launch. It has also said it will cooperate with the investigation.

The company maintains that the feature includes safeguards, including restrictions on forwarding or sharing images and the safeguards associated with teen accounts. These are Meta’s claims; it is for Ofcom to determine whether the assessments and measures meet the applicable legal obligations.

Investigation ongoing, no finding of a breach

Opening the case does not amount to a finding of an infringement. Ofcom must gather and analyse evidence before deciding whether Meta complied with the rules. If the proceedings were to conclude that there had been a breach, the regulator could require corrective measures and, within the powers provided for by law, impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10% of the company’s qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater. That limit is a possible penalty, not an announced fine or a prediction of the outcome.

The case is limited to the application of UK law and Meta’s obligations in that territory. Its relevance to digital businesses lies in the scrutiny of pre-launch controls: Ofcom will assess not only whether a review took place, but also whether it was sufficient and carried out in time. The investigation does not, in itself, establish any conclusions about how Instants operates in other countries.