Meta faces EU warning over Facebook, Instagram design

The European Union warned Meta on Friday to change what Brussels called addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram or risk a fine of up to six percent of the company's worldwide annual turnover.

In a preliminary view, the European Commission said Meta had failed to limit risks to users, especially children and vulnerable adults, under EU content rules. It said features such as endless scroll, highly personalised feeds and automatic video playback were of particular concern.

The commission said possible changes could include disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, adding effective screen-time breaks and making recommender systems less focused on engagement.

"Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms," EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said.

Meta said it disagreed with the findings but would continue to engage with the EU. The company said the findings did not accurately reflect steps it had taken to protect teenagers, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to block Instagram access at night and set daily screen-time limits.

The EU began its Meta investigation in 2024 under the Digital Services Act. As part of the same investigation, Brussels accused Meta in April of failing to prevent children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram, potentially exposing them to inappropriate content.

The wider probe is still examining possible "rabbit hole" effects, where algorithmic recommendations can lead users toward related and, in some cases, more extreme content.