The European Union has warned Meta to overhaul what it describes as the “addictive design” of Facebook and Instagram or risk a hefty financial penalty for failing to adequately protect users, particularly children and vulnerable adults.
In a preliminary finding released on Friday, the European Commission said Meta had failed to sufficiently limit the risks posed by features designed to keep users engaged on its platforms, including endless scrolling, highly personalised content feeds and automatic video playback.
EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said that protecting users’ well-being must take precedence over engagement-driven platform designs.
“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” she said.
The Commission said Meta would need to implement significant design changes on both Facebook and Instagram, including disabling addictive features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introducing effective screen-time reminders, and adjusting its recommendation systems to be less focused on maximising user engagement.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s preliminary findings, saying it disagreed with the assessment but would continue to engage constructively with EU regulators.
If the findings are upheld, Meta could face a fine of up to 6 per cent of its total worldwide annual turnover under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
A senior EU official said the bloc’s objective was not to punish technology companies but to ensure meaningful changes that improve user safety.
“We want to bring about change, and if we can get that change via commitments, then we would be most happy,” the official said.
The warning comes as the EU intensifies efforts to make major technology companies better protect users online, especially children. It also precedes the release of recommendations from an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on strengthening online child safety.
Several EU member states, including France, have been pushing for bloc-wide restrictions on children’s access to social media, following Australia’s decision to ban social media use for children under 16.
The Commission launched its investigation into Meta in 2024 under the Digital Services Act, one of the EU’s flagship laws aimed at regulating major online platforms.
According to the Commission, Facebook’s and Instagram’s existing time management tools can easily be ignored, while parental controls require technical knowledge that many parents may not possess.
The regulator also accused Meta of failing to adequately address concerns over children’s late-night use of its platforms and the potentially compulsive nature of features such as Reels and Stories.
Meta argued that the findings overlooked measures it has already introduced, including its Teen Accounts, which allow parents to restrict nighttime access to Instagram and set a daily screen-time limit of 15 minutes.
The company is also facing a separate EU investigation over allegations that it failed to prevent children under 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, potentially exposing them to harmful or inappropriate content.
The broader probe is also examining the so-called “rabbit hole” effect, where recommendation algorithms repeatedly serve users similar content, potentially leading them toward increasingly extreme material.
Meta has faced similar scrutiny in the United States, where its platforms, alongside YouTube, have also come under legal and regulatory pressure over concerns that their design encourages addictive use.
