New Delhi: The European Commission has warned Meta to change several design features on Facebook and Instagram after concluding that they may encourage compulsive use and expose users, particularly children and teenagers, to online harms, according to news reports.
The Commission said Meta’s platforms appeared to be in breach of the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) because of features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommendation systems that encourage users to spend more time on the platforms.
According to the Commission’s preliminary findings, Meta did not properly assess the risks these features pose to users’ physical and mental wellbeing, including minors and other vulnerable groups.
The regulator also said Meta had failed to sufficiently address concerns over the amount of time children spend on Facebook and Instagram, particularly at night. It added that features such as Reels and Stories could contribute to excessive or compulsive use.
According to news reports, the Commission believes Meta’s existing safeguards, including screen-time management tools available on Facebook and Instagram, have not been effective in reducing excessive use.
It said these tools can be easily dismissed and do not provide users with meaningful control over the time they spend on the platforms.
The Commission has asked Meta to introduce stronger measures, including disabling features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default and improving its recommendation systems so they rely less on engagement-driven content, according to reports.
The findings are preliminary, and Meta will have an opportunity to review the evidence and submit a formal response before the Commission reaches a final decision.
If the regulator confirms its findings, Meta could face a penalty of up to 6% of its global annual turnover under the Digital Services Act.
The latest action adds to Meta’s regulatory challenges in Europe. In April, the European Commission also concluded that the company had failed to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing Facebook and Instagram, according to news reports.
Meta has also come under scrutiny in the United States. According to reports, the company recently disclosed in a court filing that four US states are seeking penalties totalling USD 1.4 trillion, alleging that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that encourage addictive behaviour among young users and that Meta misrepresented the platforms’ safety.