EU Orders Meta to Curb Infinite Scroll, Autoplay on Facebook and Instagram

Europe's digital regulators have accused Meta of violating the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA) by using design features on Facebook and Instagram that allegedly encourage addictive behaviour, particularly among children and teenagers.

In its preliminary findings released on Friday, the European Commission said Meta failed to adequately assess the risks posed by features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay videos, personalised recommendations, and push notifications , which it believes can contribute to compulsive use and negatively affect users' physical and mental health.

The Commission said Meta should introduce design changes , including disabling addictive features by default, improving prompts that encourage users to take screen-time breaks, and making its content recommendation systems less focused on maximising engagement. It also criticised the platform's parental controls, saying they can be easily bypassed or dismissed and are too complex for many parents to use effectively.

If the findings are upheld, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue under the DSA. The company now has an opportunity to respond before the Commission reaches a final decision.

Meta rejected the allegations, saying the EU's assessment overlooks measures it has already introduced to protect young users. The company highlighted its Teen Accounts feature, which automatically applies enhanced safety settings, allows parents to restrict nighttime access to Instagram, and lets them set daily screen-time limits of 15 minutes .

The latest action follows the Commission's investigation launched in 2024 into Meta's child safety practices. Earlier this year, EU regulators also alleged that the company failed to effectively prevent children under 13 from creating Facebook and Instagram accounts and did not do enough to identify and remove underage users.

The European Commission said it remains committed to enforcing rules that hold digital platforms accountable for online safety, stressing that protecting users' mental and physical well-being must be a priority for social media companies.