Instagram and Facebook are built to keep people scrolling. Brussels now says that design may break EU law. The European Commission’s preliminary findings accuse Meta of failing to protect users, including children, from addictive features.
The features under scrutiny include infinite scroll, autoplay, constant notifications and highly personalised recommendations. They form the core of an investigation into Meta under the Digital Services Act (DSA), the EU law that sets out how large online platforms must operate. Regulators say the company failed to properly assess how such features could affect users’ physical and mental well-being.
Regulators argue that the platforms continuously serve users new content, encouraging them to keep scrolling and potentially contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use. “Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms. The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services,” said Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy.
Tools fail to curb excessive use
The Commission also found that Meta’s existing safeguards were not effective enough. Time-management tools are switched on by default for teenagers’ accounts. But they can be easily dismissed. They do not meaningfully reduce how much people use the platforms.
Parental controls fare little better. Brussels says they only work if parents have strong technical knowledge. Parents must also spend considerable time learning how to use them. Meta’s awareness-raising measures fall short too. These include tips and links to mental health resources on a separate “safety centre” page. According to the Commission, they do not sufficiently address the risks of addictive design.
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The Commission considers that Meta should apply design changes. Possible measures include disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introducing effective screen-time breaks and changing recommender systems so that they are less focused on maximising engagement.
As part of the same proceedings, the Commission is also separately examining so-called “rabbit hole” effects created by the design of Facebook’s and Instagram’s recommender systems, which may exploit the vulnerabilities and inexperience of minors.
Long investigation on Meta
The current preliminary findings follow an investigation involving Meta. In April 2026, the Commission reached preliminary findings against Meta over its failure to prevent children under 13 from accessing Instagram and Facebook effectively. Regulators found that children could bypass Meta’s age restrictions by entering a false birth date. They also criticised the company’s system for reporting and removing suspected underage users. The Commission estimated that roughly 10% to 12% of children under 13 in the EU access the platforms.
The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services.
— Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, European Commission
The Meta case comes as DSA enforcement enters a tougher phase. In December 2025, X became the first platform to be fined with a €120m penalty over violations including its paid blue-check verification system, shortcomings in advertising transparency, and barring access to researchers. Later, in May 2026, Temu was fined €200m for the sale of illegal and unsafe goods.
Meta now has the right to defence. The company can examine the Commission’s investigation files and reply in writing to the preliminary findings. The European Board for Digital Services will also be consulted in parallel. If the Commission ultimately confirms its view, Meta could face a fine of up to 6 per cent of its total worldwide annual turnover.
