EU Accuses Meta of 'Addictive Design' That Harms Children, Risks Massive Fine

The European Union has accused Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, of failing to address the risks posed by the “addictive design” of its platforms, saying the company's features harm users' physical and mental health, particularly that of children.

In preliminary findings released on Friday, the European Commission said features such as video autoplay and infinite scroll, which delivers an endless stream of content, “shift the brain into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use”.

The commission said Meta had also ignored evidence showing how much time children spend on Facebook and Instagram during the night and how features such as reels and stories could encourage “excessive or even compulsive use of its services”.

The findings come as the EU weighs a potential social media ban for minors and form part of a broader investigation into Meta launched in May 2024.

According to the commission, the design of Facebook and Instagram violates the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which is intended to protect users from online harms including illegal content, scams and disinformation.

A Meta spokesperson rejected the allegations, saying: “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens. Since this investigation began, we rolled out ‘Teen Accounts’ that automatically protect teens and put parents in control – allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes.”

EU regulators are also investigating whether Meta's algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by repeatedly recommending harmful content, including unrealistic body image material, to young users. In a separate part of the probe, the commission alleged that Meta breached both EU law and its own terms of service by failing to stop children under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram.

Regulators want Meta to redesign key features of its platforms by removing autoplay and infinite scroll as default settings, introducing mandatory screen breaks and adjusting recommendation algorithms to reduce the amount of personalised content shown to users.

Meta has the right to respond to the preliminary findings and review the commission's investigation files. If the violations are confirmed, the company could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover.

The charges come ahead of the release of recommendations from a European Commission-appointed expert panel on child safety online, due on Monday, as the bloc considers restrictions on children's access to social media.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has previously backed the idea of delaying children's access to social media, saying in May: “We must consider a social media delay.” She added: “The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, the question is whether social media should have access to young people.”

At least 10 EU member states, including France, Italy and Spain, are developing proposals for social media restrictions for minors, increasing pressure on the commission to adopt a bloc-wide approach instead of allowing different national rules.

Announcing the preliminary findings, the European Commission's technology chief, Henna Virkkunen, said: “The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services. We are fully committed to enforcing our legislation in Europe.”