The European Commission has accused the US tech giant Meta of violating the European Union’s digital rules by using “addictive” design features on Facebook and Instagram and has ordered the company to make changes or risk hefty fines, according to the Commission’s preliminary findings.
In a statement released on Friday, the commission said Meta failed to properly assess the risks that certain features, including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation systems, pose to users’ physical and mental health, particularly children and teenagers.
According to the commission, Meta must redesign parts of Facebook and Instagram by disabling key addictive features, such as autoplay and infinite scroll, by default; introducing effective screen-time reminders; and making its recommendation systems less focused on maximizing user engagement.
The findings follow a two-year investigation under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU’s law that requires major online platforms to assess and reduce risks to users.
“If the Commission’s views are ultimately confirmed, the Commission may issue a non-compliance decision, which can trigger a fine proportionate to the nature, gravity, recurrence, and duration of the infringement, capped at 6% of the total worldwide annual turnover of the provider,” the statement said.
Meta rejected the European Commission’s preliminary findings, saying they “don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens.”
"Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control, allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes," Meta spokesperson Ben Walters was quoted as saying by Reuters. "We share the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them."
The Commission’s findings are preliminary, meaning Meta will have the opportunity to review the evidence and respond before a final decision is made.
