EU regulators have accused Meta of failing to tackle the risks of its “addictive design” on the physical and mental health of users.
In an official charge sheet against Meta, the European Commission said that features such as video autoplay and infinite scroll, which provides an endless stream of content, “shift the brain into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use.”
In a significant finding, as the EU considers a social media ban for minors, the commission said that Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, had disregarded available information about the time children spend on Instagram and Facebook at night, and how features, such as reels and stories, could lead to “excessive or even compulsive use of its services.”
According to the commission, the addictive design of Facebook and Instagram was a breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which aims to protect users from a wide range of internet harms, including shopping scams, disinformation and illegal content.
Announcing the latest charges against Meta, the commission’s lead official on tech policy, Henna Virkkunen, emphasised commitment to enforcing the Digital Services Act.
“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.”
Henna Virkkunen
EU regulators argue that such platform designs can make it more difficult for users to disengage from social media, increasing the amount of time spent online and potentially exposing them to harmful effects associated with excessive screen use.
The charges form part of the European Union’s broader efforts to regulate large digital platforms under its Digital Services Act (DSA), legislation designed to make online platforms safer, more transparent and more accountable for the risks their services may pose to users.
Under the DSA, very large online platforms, including Facebook and Instagram, are required to assess and mitigate systemic risks linked to their services. These include risks related to the protection of minors, mental health, public safety and the spread of harmful or illegal content.
The findings are part of a wide-ranging investigation into Meta launched in May 2024. EU officials continue to assess other charges, notably “rabbit hole” effects, where an algorithm feeds young people negative content, such as on unrealistic body images.
In another strand of the investigation, the commission said Meta had broken EU law – and its own terms and conditions – by failing to prevent children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram. EU officials want Meta to change the design of Instagram and Facebook, for instance scrapping autoplay and infinite scroll as default settings, implementing screen breaks and changing its algorithm, so users are offered less personal content.
Charges Come Ahead Report On Social Media Ban On Children
The charges come days before a long-awaited report from an expert panel convened by the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, examining social media bans for children. The special panel for child safety online is due to present recommendations on Monday.
Von der Leyen told an AI safety conference in May, “We must consider a social media delay.” The commission President, a mother of seven who trained as a doctor, said, “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 are already drawing up plans for a social media ban, including France, Italy and Spain, putting pressure on the commission to come up with an EU-wide solution, or risk a hotchpotch of different rules.
Meta has the right to mount a defence and may examine the commission’s investigation files.If the finding is confirmed the company could be fined up to 6% of its total annual turnover.
Meta has been contacted for comment. The company has previously said it spent more than a decade “developing more than 50 tools and policies designed to protect” young users and wanted young people to have “safe, age-appropriate experiences.”
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