The European Commission has charged Meta Platforms with violating the European Union’s Digital Services Act over Facebook and Instagram features regulators say encourage addictive behaviour among users.
The preliminary findings conclude a two-year investigation into whether Meta adequately assessed and mitigated risks posed by highly personalised recommendations, autoplay and infinite scrolling on its platforms.
According to the Commission, features including Reels and Stories on Facebook and Instagram can contribute to excessive or compulsive use, particularly among younger users.
EU regulators said Meta’s existing safeguards are insufficient, arguing that screen-time management tools can be easily dismissed while parental controls require significant technical knowledge to configure effectively.
The Commission has called on Meta to disable autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, introduce more effective screen-time reminders and reduce reliance on engagement-driven recommendation algorithms.
Failure to address the concerns could expose the company to significant financial penalties under the Digital Services Act.
Meta rejected the Commission’s preliminary conclusions, saying it has already introduced extensive protections for teenagers through its Teen Accounts programme.
The company said the feature automatically applies stricter privacy settings, enables parents to restrict nighttime access and allows daily screen-time limits to be set.
Meta added that it would continue cooperating with European regulators as the investigation progresses.
The case forms part of the European Union’s broader efforts to hold major technology companies accountable for platform designs that may negatively affect users’ mental health and digital wellbeing.
