The European Union has warned Meta to redesign features on Facebook and Instagram that it says encourage addictive behaviour, or risk facing substantial financial penalties.
Gatekeepers News reports that in preliminary findings released on Friday, the European Commission accused the US technology giant of failing to adequately protect users—particularly children and vulnerable adults—from platform features designed to maximise engagement.
Among the features highlighted were infinite scrolling, highly personalised content feeds and the automatic playback of videos.
“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
The warning marks the latest move by the European Union to tighten oversight of major technology companies and strengthen online safety, especially for minors.
According to the Commission, Meta must make significant design changes to both Facebook and Instagram to comply with the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The proposed measures include disabling addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introducing effective screen-time reminders, and modifying recommendation algorithms to reduce engagement-driven content.
Meta said it disagrees with the Commission’s preliminary conclusions but remains committed to working with European regulators.
If the findings are upheld, the company could face a fine of up to six per cent of its total global annual turnover.
A senior EU official said the Commission’s objective is not to punish companies but to encourage meaningful reforms.
“We want to bring about change, and if we can get that change via commitments then we would be most happy,” the official said.
Focus on child safety
The findings come ahead of recommendations expected on Monday from an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to propose stronger measures for protecting children online.
Several EU member states, including France, have called for bloc-wide restrictions on social media use by minors, following Australia’s decision to ban children under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
The EU issued a similar warning to TikTok earlier this year over concerns about addictive platform design.
However, an EU official noted there was “a slight difference” between the two cases, saying Meta “has indeed always tried to address minor protection online.”
The Commission launched its investigation into Meta in 2024 under the Digital Services Act, legislation designed to hold large online platforms accountable for user safety.
According to the preliminary findings, Facebook and Instagram’s existing time management tools can easily be ignored, while parental controls require a level of technical knowledge that many parents may not possess.
The Commission also alleged that Meta failed to adequately address concerns about children’s nighttime use of its platforms and the potentially compulsive nature of content formats such as Reels and Stories.
Meta rejected the criticism, arguing that the findings “don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens.”
The company pointed to its Teen Accounts feature, introduced after the investigation began, which allows parents to block Instagram access during nighttime hours and limit daily screen time to 15 minutes.
As part of the broader investigation, the EU also alleged in April that Meta had failed to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, potentially exposing them to harmful content.
Regulators are also examining the platforms’ so-called “rabbit hole” effect, where recommendation algorithms repeatedly serve users similar content that can, in some cases, become increasingly extreme.
Meta has faced similar legal scrutiny in the United States, where a court this year ruled that the company’s platforms, alongside YouTube, were harmfully addictive.
