EU Says Meta Breached Digital Services Act Over Instagram and Facebook Design

The European Commission said Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults. The Commission singled out features such as personalized recommendations, autoplay, and infinite scroll. It said these features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into autopilot mode.

The report also criticized the tools Meta provides to help limit use. It said time management tools can be easily dismissed, parental controls require technical expertise and effort, and mental health awareness measures are too limited. The Commission suggested disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, implementing effective screen-time breaks, and making the recommendation algorithm less engagement-oriented.

Meta will now have the chance to defend itself.

If the Commission's decision is made final, the company could face a noncompliance fine of up to 6 percent of its worldwide annual turnover. In 2025 that turnover was $200.97 billion, meaning a potential fine of up to $12 billion. The investigation began in May 2024 and is separately assessing Meta's age verification tools and content protections for minors.

The decision comes as the EU considers a bloc-wide ban on social media for under-16s, with a report due next Monday. In August, Meta faces a trial in the U.S. over whether its apps are intentionally addictive, with four states reportedly pushing for combined penalties of up to $1.4 trillion.