EU Warns Meta Over Addictive Instagram and Facebook Features
Synopsis
European regulators have directed Meta to address design features they say encourage excessive platform use, including autoplay and infinite scrolling.
Meta platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are in apparent violation of the EU’s Digital Services Act and are incorporating addicting elements into its apps.
The company did not adequately address its failure to thoroughly assess and reduce the risks associated with elements intended to hold its users’ attention, according to the regulators. With such violations, Meta could be forced to pay penalties up to 6% of its worldwide annual turnover.
Regulators believe elements such as infinite scrolling, personalized recommendations, and autoplay videos, especially among young people, can be addicting.
The Digital Services Act mandates that the EU’s largest online platforms evaluate and reduce systemic risks that come from their services that can harm users’ safety, rights and health.
Investigation Expands EU Digital Enforcement
The Commission has begun looking into how Meta’s platforms offer protection to children since 2024. Europe has discovered that current defenses like tools for kids to regulate their screen time or parental controls aren’t enough to stop issues stemming from the platforms' designs.
The EU Commission’s Second Report on Systemic Risks on Very Large Online Platforms and Search Engines, which concluded addictive platform design to be one of the key risks for European children on the Internet and identified problems with harmful content, cyberbullying and algorithm-based recommendations, corresponds to this research.
Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, X, Amazon Store, Temu, Shein, Booking.com and LinkedIn are among the major digital platforms governed by the Digital Services Act and have responsibilities to examine and take action to prevent risk factors for its users.
Meta Rejects Preliminary Findings
The company feels the regulators were unsuccessful in taking into consideration the security measures it has adopted for teen accounts.
Meta lists, as examples, default private options, parental controls, and resources that can assist teenagers in time management on its applications.
The European Commission will provide Meta with an opportunity to offer commentary before finalizing any decision.
Meta reported total annual revenue increased by 22% to $200.97 billion in 2025. Meta's "Family of Apps," which includes Instagram, Facebook, Messenger, and WhatsApp, reported 3.58 billion daily active users in December 2025.
Source: Reuters
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Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
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