European Commission Finds Metas Instagram, Facebook Features Are Addictive

The European Union has preliminarily found Meta in breach of the bloc’s legislation, designed to increase accountability among the world’s largest online platforms, for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook.The European Commission said in a July 9 statement that 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’s two-year investigation found that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and personalized recommendations encourage people to spend more time on Instagram and Facebook, increasing the risk of unhealthy and addictive use.“These features fuel the user’s urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode’, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use,” the commission said.The findings are the latest in a series of enforcement actions under the Digital Services Act (DSA), following separate investigations into Meta’s age-assurance measures, TikTok’s recommender systems and researcher access, and platforms such as X and Shein.The commission also said Meta overlooked evidence about the time minors spend on Instagram and Facebook at night and failed to assess how products such as Reels and Stories could encourage excessive use.Related StoryHenna Virkkunen, executive vice-president for the commission’s Tech Sovereignty, Security, and Democracy, said protecting users’ wellbeing must take precedence over engagement-driven platform design.“The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services,” she said in a statement. “We are fully committed to enforcing our legislation in Europe.”Meta could face fines of up to 6 percent of its annual global revenue unless it changes the design of the two platforms.The Epoch Times reached out to Meta for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.The Facebook app icon on a smartphone, in this illustration taken on Oct. 27, 2025. Dado Ruvic/ReutersExisting Safeguards Found InadequateThe European Commission also concluded that Meta’s existing measures to limit excessive use do not sufficiently reduce the risks associated with its platforms.It said Instagram’s and Facebook’s screen time management tools, including those automatically enabled for teenagers, can be easily dismissed and do not meaningfully reduce time spent on the services.The commission also questioned the effectiveness of Meta’s parental controls, saying they require parents and guardians to possess significant technical knowledge and devote substantial time to understanding how they work.Regulators further said Meta’s awareness campaigns, including safety tips and links to mental health resources available through its Safety Center, were insufficient to address risks created by the platforms’ underlying design.“Meta needs to implement design changes to both Instagram and Facebook,” the commission said. “For instance, by disabling key addictive features such as ‘autoplay’ and ‘infinite scroll’ by default, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks’, and adapting its recommender system to make it less engagement-oriented.”The Instagram app on an iPhone in Toronto, Canada, on March 19, 2018. Graeme Roy/The Canadian PressMeta now has the opportunity to review the evidence, submit a written response, and exercise its rights of defense before any final decision is adopted.The company last month lost its attempt to dismiss claims by 29 U.S. state attorneys general that Facebook and Instagram are addictive to children.Meta said the state attorneys general had not shown that it misled users about whether its platforms are addictive, arguing that “social media addiction” is not a medically recognized psychiatric diagnosis.Attorneys general from four U.S. states are seeking about $1.4 trillion in penalties from Meta, alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed to keep young people addicted and that the company misled the public about the platforms’ safety.Meta disclosed the amount in a court filing on July 6, a week after a federal judge refused to dismiss the claims before trial. The case is set to go to trial before a jury on Aug. 18 in Oakland, California.