The European Union has charged Meta Platforms with violating the Digital Services Act, citing 'addictive design' features on Facebook and Instagram. Regulators demand changes or face fines up to 6% of global revenue.
The EU's action signals a stricter regulatory environment for major tech platforms, emphasizing user protection and potentially forcing significant changes to the design of widely used social media services.
The European Union has formally charged Meta Platforms with breaching the bloc's Digital Services Act, citing "addictive design" features on Facebook and Instagram that regulators believe pose risks to users' mental and physical health, particularly minors. The EU's executive arm is demanding that Meta implement design changes, such as disabling features like infinite scrolling and video autoplay by default, or face potential fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
In its preliminary findings, the European Commission stated that Meta failed to properly assess the risks associated with these features and that existing tools to manage usage, such as screen time controls for teens, are easily overridden or technically challenging to use. The commission also noted that personalized recommendations and push notifications contribute to compulsive use.
Meta has responded by stating that the preliminary findings do not acknowledge the steps the company has already taken to protect teenagers, including the rollout of Teen Accounts with automatic protections and daily screen time caps. The company expressed its commitment to working constructively with the European Commission.
The investigation, which began in 2024, also previously found that Meta had failed to prevent children under 13 from signing up for its services and was not adequately identifying and removing underage users. Meta has the opportunity to present its defense before a final decision is made.
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