The European Commission has issued preliminary findings accusing Meta of breaching the European Union’s Digital Services Act by failing to address addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram.
The regulator said the company must change elements including autoplay, infinite scroll, and recommendation systems designed to maximize engagement or risk fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover.
The findings mark the latest step in the EU’s ongoing scrutiny of large online platforms over child safety and harmful online design practices.
The Commission said Meta should disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and reduce the emphasis its recommendation systems place on driving user engagement.
According to the regulator, highly personalized recommendations, autoplay, infinite scroll, reels, and stories can encourage excessive or compulsive use by continuously supplying users with new content.
The Commission also concluded that Meta failed to properly assess the risks associated with these features and did not introduce sufficient measures to reduce their impact.
It further criticized the company’s existing time management tools, saying they can be easily dismissed, while parental controls require considerable time, effort, and technical knowledge to use effectively.
EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said, "Our starting point is that, based on our findings, this design is too addictive and changes need to be made."
Meta rejected the Commission’s preliminary findings and said it has taken significant steps to protect younger users.
"We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don't accurately take into account the significant steps we've taken to protect teens," Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said.
The company pointed to its Teen Accounts, introduced in 2024, which it said automatically protect teenagers by enabling parental controls, limiting nighttime access, and capping daily screen time.
Meta can now review the Commission’s evidence and submit its formal response before a final decision is issued in the coming months.
The case follows other ongoing EU investigations involving Meta, including separate inquiries into child access and recommendation systems, and mirrors similar Digital Services Act findings issued against TikTok earlier this year.
An expert panel is also expected to deliver recommendations that could support future Europe-wide restrictions on teenage social media use.