The EU has issued a warning to Meta over the design of Instagram and Facebook
The European Commission has preliminarily concluded that Meta violated the requirements of the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to the design of its Instagram and Facebook platforms, which, according to the regulator, may contribute to the development of addiction among users.
The European Commission’s investigation covered features such as infinite feed scrolling, autoplay videos, push notifications, and highly personalized content recommendations.
The Commission believes that Meta failed to adequately assess the risks to users’ physical and mental health—particularly among minors and vulnerable groups—that may arise from such social media interaction mechanisms.
In particular, according to the European Commission’s preliminary findings, the company failed to take into account the impact of recommendation algorithms, autoplay features, and endless scrolling, which constantly offer new content and encourage users to stay on the platform longer.
The European Commission notes that such tools put users into a kind of “autopilot mode,” which can lead to compulsive behavior and harmful digital habits.
The regulator paid particular attention to underage users. According to the Commission, Meta failed to take into account information about teenagers’ prolonged nighttime use of Instagram and Facebook, as well as the impact of Reels and Stories, which can encourage excessive content consumption.
Furthermore, existing tools for limiting screen time—even those enabled by default for teenagers—are easily disabled and do not provide effective control over the time spent on the apps.
The European Commission also considers parental control tools to be insufficiently effective, as their use requires technical knowledge, time, and active parental involvement, which significantly reduces their practical effectiveness.
Meta’s efforts to inform users—including recommendations and links to mental health resources posted in a separate “Safety Center”—also failed to convince the regulator. In the Commission’s view, these measures are not capable of substantially reducing the risks associated with the platforms’ design.
The European Commission preliminarily believes that Meta should change the design of Instagram and Facebook, specifically:
- disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default;
- introduce effective mechanisms for taking breaks from using the services;
- adapt recommendation algorithms to make them less focused on maximizing user engagement.
Meta has now been given the opportunity to review the case materials and provide written explanations regarding the European Commission’s preliminary findings. At the same time, consultations will continue with the European Digital Services Board.
If the preliminary findings are confirmed upon completion of the investigation, the European Commission may officially find a violation of the Digital Services Act and impose a fine on Meta of up to 6% of the company’s global annual turnover.
This is stated in a press release from the European Commission.
As a reminder, Meta launched a new service for generating and editing images using artificial intelligence, which can use photos from public Instagram accounts.
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