European Union demands that Meta modify the “addictive design” of Facebook and Instagram

Brussels accused the American technology giant of failing to limit the risks that the platforms pose to users, especially children and vulnerable adults, given the features designed to capture their attention as much as possible.

If the resolutions of the European regulator on Meta are confirmed, The EU could impose a fine of up to 6% of the company’s total annual turnover worldwide.

“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” Henna Virkkunen, vice president of the European Commission for Technological Sovereignty, said in a statement.

In recent months, the EU has intensified its efforts to force large technology companies to better protect users, particularly children.

In a preliminary ruling issued on Friday, The European Commission stated that it “considers that Meta must implement design changes on both Instagram and Facebook” after concluding that the platforms violated community rules on content.

Changes could include “disabling key addictive features such as ‘autoplay’ and ‘infinite scroll’, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks’, and adapting its recommendation system to be less engagement-oriented,” he added.

Meta expressed his disagreement with the conclusions, but assured that he would continue to “collaborate constructively” with the bloc.

A senior EU official insisted that Brussels did not want to punish the companies.

“We want to achieve change, and if we can achieve it through compromises, we would be very happy,” the source said.

These findings come days before a panel of experts, commissioned by the European Executive, presents its recommendations on Monday for the bloc to better protect children from inappropriate content online.

The EU issued a similar warning to TikTok in February this year, telling the company to modify its design or risk large fines.

However, the official consulted specified that there was a “slight difference” with TikTok, since “Meta has always tried to address the protection of minors online.”

In its ruling, Brussels noted that time management tools on Facebook and Instagram can be easily disabled, while parental controls are only effective if parents have certain technical knowledge.

The EU began its investigation into Meta in 2024 under the Digital Services Act.

This regulation is a key weapon in the arsenal adopted by the EU in recent years to curb what Brussels describes as the excesses of large technology companies.