EU Warns Meta Over Addictive Facebook and Instagram Features

The European Commission has preliminarily found that Meta’s design of Facebook and Instagram may breach the Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission’s assessment concerns features that may encourage compulsive use, including infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and recommendation systems designed to retain users’ attention.

The preliminary findings focus on whether Meta adequately assessed and mitigated systemic risks arising from these features. Under the DSA, very large online platforms must identify, analyze, and reduce foreseeable risks to users’ health, including mental health, with particular attention to minors. The Commission considers that the design of Facebook and Instagram may expose users, especially children and teenagers, to addictive behavioral patterns.

The case illustrates that the DSA’s risk-management duties extend beyond illegal content and platform transparency. Product design choices can themselves create systemic risks where they are structured to prolong engagement without sufficient safeguards. For social media providers, the decision signals closer scrutiny of engagement-based interfaces, personalized feeds, and measures intended to protect young users.

The proceeding remains at the preliminary stage. Meta may inspect the Commission’s file and respond to the findings before a final decision is adopted. If the infringement is confirmed, the Commission may impose a fine of up to 6% of Meta’s total worldwide annual turnover under Article 52 of the DSA. Meta has stated that it disagrees with the assessment and pointed to measures such as Teen Accounts and screen-time tools.

The investigation adds to the Commission’s expanding DSA enforcement practice against very large online platforms. It also underlines that compliance programs should assess the cumulative effects of interface design, recommender systems, user notifications, and youth-safety controls rather than reviewing each feature in isolation.