The European Commission has provisionally determined that Meta is violating the Digital Services Act through the addictive design elements used on Instagram and Facebook. The Brussels authority announced this on Friday. The investigation specifically focused on functions such as infinite scrolling, autoplay features, push notifications, and the platforms’ personalized recommendation systems.
The Commission stated that Meta failed to adequately assess the risks posed to the physical and mental well-being of users, particularly minors and vulnerable adults. It noted that Meta did not account for specific design features that intensified users’ desire to consume content, such as highly personalized recommendations that could put users’ brains into an “autopilot mode,” leading to unhealthy consumption habits and compulsive usage. Furthermore, Meta ignored information regarding the nocturnal use of these platforms by minors, which carries the risk of excessive or compulsive use.
The Commission also criticized Meta for taking insufficient risk mitigation measures. The built-in time management tools on Instagram and Facebook were deemed too easy to disable and did not provide meaningful control over usage. Additionally, the parental controls were only effective if parents possessed significant technical expertise. The Commission urged Meta to implement design changes to mitigate these risks. Meta now has the opportunity to respond to these provisional findings.
