The European Union (EU) has warned Meta to make major changes to the design of Facebook and Instagram, saying several features on the platforms encourage addictive behaviour, particularly among children and vulnerable users.
In a preliminary finding released on Friday, the European Commission said Meta may have breached the Digital Services Act (DSA) by failing to adequately reduce the risks posed by features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay videos and highly personalised content feeds.
According to the Commission, these features can encourage excessive use of social media and negatively affect users’ mental and physical well-being.
“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.
The EU said Meta should consider disabling addictive features like autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time reminders, and adjust its recommendation algorithms to reduce excessive engagement.
Meta, however, rejected the preliminary findings, insisting it has taken significant steps to improve online safety for teenagers.
The company pointed to its Teen Accounts feature, which allows parents to restrict nighttime access to Instagram and set daily screen-time limits.
If the EU confirms that Meta violated its digital content rules, the company could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.
The investigation, launched in 2024, is also examining whether Facebook and Instagram expose children to inappropriate content and whether their recommendation systems push users toward increasingly extreme material.
Source: AFP.
