{"id":5239,"date":"2026-07-17T01:02:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:02:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usglobalnews.com\/2026\/07\/17\/eu-targets-meta-over-addictive-facebook-and-instagram-design\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T01:02:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:02:14","slug":"eu-targets-meta-over-addictive-facebook-and-instagram-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/?p=5239","title":{"rendered":"EU targets Meta over \u2018addictive\u2019 Facebook and Instagram design"},"content":{"rendered":"

Autoplay and infinite scroll encourage compulsive use and pose risks to users\u2019 wellbeing, the European Commission has said<\/strong><\/p>\n

EU regulators have accused US tech giant Meta Platforms of failing to protect users of Facebook and Instagram from features they say encourage compulsive use and harm wellbeing. Meta has rejected the allegations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The European Commission said<\/a> on Friday that its investigation found Meta had failed to properly assess the risks posed by features such as autoplay, infinite scroll, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation systems, particularly for children and other vulnerable users. Regulators said the company did not adequately consider nighttime use by minors or whether Reels and Stories could contribute to excessive engagement.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Commission also found Meta\u2019s safeguards insufficient, saying links to mental health resources alone do not adequately reduce the risks. It urged the company to redesign key features, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and make its recommendation systems less engagement-driven.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Meta rejected the findings, arguing they fail to reflect the measures it has already introduced to protect younger users.<\/p>\n

\n Read more<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n \"RT\"
France moves to ban social media for minors<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The decision is a preliminary finding under the EU\u2019s Digital Services Act (DSA). The Commission launched its investigation in May 2024, examining whether Meta has complied with rules requiring the bloc\u2019s largest online platforms to assess and mitigate systemic risks. The legislation has fueled transatlantic tensions, with US officials arguing the EU\u2019s digital regulations disproportionately target American companies.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If confirmed, the findings could result in a fine of up to 6% of Meta\u2019s global annual revenue, more than $12 billion based on the company\u2019s reported 2025 revenue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Commission is also investigating whether Meta\u2019s recommendation systems create so-called \u201crabbit hole\u201d<\/em> effects by repeatedly directing users toward similar content and exploiting the vulnerabilities of younger users. In a separate preliminary finding in April, regulators concluded the company had failed to do enough to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\n READ MORE: <\/span>Facebook and Instagram owner enabled child sexual exploitation
\n <\/a>\n <\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s announcement comes days before an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to present recommendations on child safety online. The report, expected on Monday, is set to examine measures including possible restrictions on children\u2019s access to social media. Von der Leyen has previously backed exploring a \u201csocial media delay,\u201d<\/em> while France, Italy, and Spain have already called for stricter rules<\/a> for young users.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Autoplay and infinite scroll encourage compulsive use and pose risks to users\u2019 wellbeing, the European Commission has said<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":5240,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5239","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5239","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5239"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5239\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5240"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5239"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5239"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.usglobalnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5239"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}