EU demands Facebook and Instagram dismantle design features it calls
addictive for users
[July 10, 2026] By
KELVIN CHAN
The Europe Union accused Meta on Friday of breaching its social media
law by designing Facebook and Instagram to get users hooked, and
demanded it disable “key addictive features” like infinite scrolling.
The EU's executive arm issued a fresh set of charges against Meta
Platforms as part of its investigation under the 27-nation bloc's strict
digital rule book known as the Digital Services Act. The sweeping set of
regulations from Brussels requires tech platforms to protect internet
users under threat of hefty fines.
The European Commission said Meta failed to properly assess the risks
its design features pose to the physical and mental health of users,
including minors. And while the company has tools and controls to help
manage Facebook and Instagram use, it said they were easily overridden,
dismissed, or technically challenging to use.
Meta “needs to implement design changes” to Instagram and Facebook, such
as disabling “key addictive features” like autoplay of videos and
infinite scroll so they’re not turned on by default, the commission said
in its preliminary findings.
Meta now has the chance to respond and defend itself before the
commission issues its final decision, which could result in a fine worth
up to 6% of the company’s global annual revenue.
Meta said Friday that the preliminary findings do not recognize the
steps that the company has already taken to protect teens.
“Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that
automatically protect teens and put parents in control - allowing them
to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just
15 minutes,” Meta said in a prepared statement. "We share the European
Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online
experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them.”
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 Europe is committed to enforcing its
legislation that holds platforms accountable for addictive design
features, said Henna Virkkunen, an executive vice-president at the
commission overseeing tech.
“Protecting the physical and mental health of
Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” Virkkunen,
said in a written statement.
Facebook and Instagram design features, including personalized
recommendations and push notifications, serve up an endless stream
of content, putting users' brains on “autopilot” and fueling
compulsive use, the commission said.
Meanwhile, screen time controls that parents can impose on their
teens' devices can be “easily dismissed” and don't result in a
meaningful reduction of use, the commission said. And the controls
are undermined by the technical expertise, time and effort that
parents need to understand and use them, it said.
The commission's proposed design changes also included finding
better ways to encourage screen time breaks, and changing the
content recommendation system so that it’s less
“engagement-oriented.”
The preliminary findings are the latest charges since Brussels
opened its investigation in 2024 over concerns that the social media
giant wasn't doing enough to protect children online.
Earlier this year, the EU said its investigation found that Meta
failed to stop children under 13 — the minimum age for Facebook and
Instagram — from signing up, and not doing enough to identify and
remove underage users after they had opened accounts.
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