The European Commission has formally accused Meta of breaching the Digital Services Act (DSA) through the addictive design of Facebook and Instagram, threatening fines of up to 6% of the company’s global annual turnover.
The charges target four specific design features that the Commission says drive compulsive use: infinite scroll, video autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation algorithms built to maximize engagement at the expense of user well-being. The Commission described these features as shifting the brain into “autopilot mode,” contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive behavior, particularly among minors.
“Evidence also shows that Meta’s current mitigation measures failed to effectively tackle the risks stemming from its addictive design,” the Commission wrote. It noted that Instagram’s and Facebook’s time-management tools, including those activated by default for teens, “can be easily dismissed and do not lead to a meaningful reduction and control of the usage of the service.”
What the EU is demanding
The Commission is calling on Meta to take three concrete steps:
- Disable key addictive features, including infinite scroll and autoplay, by default
- Introduce screen-time breaks that users cannot easily bypass
- Modify recommendation algorithms to prioritize factors other than engagement
If the preliminary findings are confirmed after Meta submits its formal response, the company faces a penalty of up to 6% of total global annual turnover, potentially billions of dollars. This is the second time in 2026 the Commission has found Meta in contravention of EU law; in April, the company was found to be failing to keep children under 13 off its platforms.
A growing global movement
The EU’s action is part of a broader international shift toward treating addictive platform design as a consumer-protection issue rather than a matter of corporate discretion. China imposed some of the world’s strictest regulations on minor internet usage years ago, including curfews on nighttime gaming, daily time caps, and real-name registration requirements, measures that were initially met with industry resistance but have since been adopted as a reference point by regulators worldwide.
In the United States, four states are seeking US$1.4 trillion (approximately £1.1 trillion) in penalties from Meta over claims that the company designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users while misleading the public about platform safety, according to a court filing disclosed on July 7.
The EU’s enforcement action under the DSA represents the most direct regulatory challenge yet to the attention-economy business model that has defined social media for two decades. Unlike voluntary self-regulation or time-management settings that users can dismiss, the Commission’s demands target the structural design of the platforms themselves.
Meta has not yet responded to the latest EU announcement. The company has the opportunity to review the evidence and submit a formal response before the Commission issues its final findings.