Meta must overhaul the design of Facebook and Instagram or face fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, the EU has warned, accusing the tech giant of deliberately engineering addictive features that harm children’s mental health.
In preliminary findings released on Friday, the European Commission said features such as infinite scroll, autoplaying videos and personalised recommendations “shift the brain into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use”. The commission said these design choices breached the EU’s Digital Services Act, which requires platforms to protect users from a wide range of harms.
“EU warns Meta to change addictive design of Facebook and Instagram or face fines up to 6% of global turnover.”
“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.
The regulator singled out Reels and Stories as particularly risky for young users, arguing they could lead to “excessive or even compulsive use”. It said Meta had failed to adequately assess how long children spend on the platforms, especially at night, and claimed the company’s safeguards do not go far enough.
According to the commission, time-management tools – including those enabled by default for teenagers – can be dismissed by users and do not meaningfully reduce screen time. It also criticised Meta’s parental controls, saying they are only effective if parents have the time and technical expertise to use them properly.
Meta rejected the allegations. “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens,” a spokesperson said. The company pointed to its Teen Accounts, which “automatically protect teens and put parents in control – allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes”.
The tech giant now has the chance to review the evidence and submit a formal response. If the EU ultimately upholds the ruling, Meta could face a fine of up to 6% of its total global annual turnover.
The charges are part of a broader investigation launched in May 2024. EU officials are also examining whether Meta’s algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects that feed young people negative content, such as unrealistic body images. In a separate strand, the commission said Meta had broken EU law – and its own terms – by failing to prevent children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram.
The findings come days before a long-awaited report from an expert panel tasked with proposing new ways to shield children from harmful online content. The EU is under mounting pressure to act, with countries such as France pushing for a social media ban for minors, following Australia’s restrictions for under-16s.
Meta, for its part, said it shares “the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them”. Whether that engagement will be enough to avoid a record fine remains to be seen.