The European Union has ordered Meta to change what it describes as addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram, saying the company risks violating the bloc’s digital rules unless it makes major changes to how its platforms operate.
The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, announced preliminary findings on Friday, July 10, accusing Meta of failing to properly assess and address the risks posed by features that encourage prolonged use of its social media platforms.
The case is part of an ongoing probe under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), the landmark law designed to hold major online platforms accountable for protecting users, particularly children.
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According to the Commission, Facebook and Instagram include design features that can encourage compulsive use, including personalized recommendations, autoplay videos, infinite scrolling, reels, and stories.
EU regulators said these features may expose users, especially minors, to risks affecting their physical and mental well-being.
As part of its preliminary findings, the Commission instructed Meta to make design changes.
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Among the recommendations are disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, introducing more effective reminders encouraging users to take screen-time breaks, and making recommendation systems less focused on maximizing engagement.
The Commission also criticized Meta’s existing safeguards, saying the company’s time-management tools can be easily dismissed and that parental controls require considerable technical knowledge, time and effort to use effectively.
Officials said Meta failed to adequately evaluate the risks created by these design choices, despite requirements under the Digital Services Act.
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Henna Virkkunen, the European Commission’s Executive Vice-President responsible for technology policy, said protecting users’ health should take priority over platform engagement.
“Our starting point is that, based on our findings, this design is too addictive and changes need to be made,” Virkkunen told Reuters.
She added that the next step would depend on Meta’s response.
“The next step is either that Meta changes its design or a non-compliance decision will follow,” she said.
Meta now has the opportunity to respond to the findings and make its case to regulators who will decide whether the company has violated EU law.
If regulators ultimately conclude that Meta violated the Digital Services Act, the company could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
Meta Defends Teen Safety Measures
Meta disagreed with the Commission’s conclusions, saying it had already implemented stronger protections for teens since the investigation began.
The company pointed to its Teen Accounts feature, which automatically applies additional safety settings for younger users.
Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said the Commission’s findings fail to reflect those efforts.
“We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens,” Walters said.
He noted that Teen Accounts allow parents to block access to Instagram during nighttime hours and limit daily screen time to 15 minutes.
Walters also said Meta would continue working with European regulators throughout the investigation.
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The European Commission launched an investigation against Meta in 2024, after concerns that Facebook and Instagram were not doing enough to protect children online.
Earlier this year, regulators also accused the company of failing to prevent children younger than 13 from creating accounts, despite the platforms’ minimum age requirements.
Officials further alleged that the social media company was not doing enough to identify and remove underage users after accounts had been created.
European officials argue that endless content feeds, autoplay videos and highly personalized recommendations can keep users engaged for long periods without meaningful interruptions.
The Commission believes platforms should adopt designs that encourage healthier online habits rather than maximizing time spent using their services.
EU Cracks Down On Big Tech Platforms
The investigation into Meta comes as the European Union increases enforcement of the Digital Services Act against major technology companies.
In February, the Commission brought similar preliminary charges against TikTok over concerns about the platform’s addictive design.
Regulators are also separately examining Facebook and Instagram’s recommendation systems over concerns they may push users into increasingly narrow streams of content, often referred to as “rabbit hole” effects.
