The European Commission has ordered Meta to redesign Instagram and Facebook, accusing the social media giant of engineering its platforms to “shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode’” and fuel compulsive use. In findings issued on Friday under the Digital Services Act, the EU executive demanded that Meta disable features like autoplay and infinite scroll in default settings, introduce effective “screen time breaks,” and overhaul its recommendation algorithm — which it said is currently driven to maximise engagement.
Meta now faces fines of up to 6% of its annual revenue if it fails to comply. The company can examine the evidence and lay out its defence. “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don't accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens,” said Meta spokesperson Ben Walters. He pointed to Teen Accounts, launched by Instagram in 2024, that “automatically protect teens and put parents in control.” But a Commission official said ahead of the findings that these accounts “can be easily dismissed and don’t provide enough friction.”
“EU orders Meta to stop addictive autopilot designs on Instagram and Facebook or face fines up to 6% of revenue.”
The EU has been investigating Meta since May 2024 over potential breaches of its social media rulebook. It already accused the company in a separate set of findings of not doing enough to keep under-13s off its platforms and provide transparency to external stakeholders. Friday’s findings concluded that Meta failed to properly assess the risks of addictive design, including “highly personalized recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll,” which “fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode,’ contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use.” The Commission added that Meta’s time management tools are “easily dismissed” and “do not lead to a meaningful reduction and control of the usage of the service.”
The findings come just days before an EU panel of experts is due to deliver a recommendation on Monday that could add momentum to calls for setting a minimum age to use social media. Whether Meta’s Teen Accounts – which require parental permission to make settings less protective – will be enough to stave off regulatory action remains an open question.