EU says Meta's platform design may breach digital rules

The European Commission said Friday it had preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA), saying the "addictive" design of Facebook and Instagram failed to adequately protect users, particularly minors, from risks to their physical and mental well-being.

"The Commission considers that Meta needs to implement design changes to both Instagram and Facebook," it said, citing measures such as disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introducing effective screen-time breaks and making recommendation systems less engagement-driven.

The Commission said its preliminary findings relate to features including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and personalized recommendation systems that may encourage compulsive use of the platforms.

It also found that Meta's current safeguards, including screen time-management tools, parental controls and awareness measures, do not effectively mitigate those risks.

The findings are preliminary and do not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.

Meta now has an opportunity to examine the Commission's findings and submit a written response before a final decision is made.

If the Commission confirms its preliminary findings, Meta could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual turnover under the DSA.

The investigation, launched in May 2024, is also examining Meta's age assurance measures for users under 13 and the potential impact of Facebook's and Instagram's recommendation systems on minors.