Global social media platform regulation is tightening! The European Union requires Meta to rectify the addictive features of Instagram and Facebook

According to Zhitong Finance APP, the European Union accused Meta Platforms (META.US) on Friday of violating its technology regulatory laws through its subsidiaries Instagram and Facebook. Regulators pointed to features designed to keep users addicted and demanded that the platforms modify their autoplay and infinite scrolling functions, or face fines.

The European Commission made this preliminary finding based on the landmark legislation known as the Digital Services Act, after a two-year investigation. This act requires large online platforms to intensify efforts to tackle illegal and harmful content.

Social media companies are facing increasingly stringent scrutiny worldwide, with concerns that these platforms exacerbate the mental health crisis among children, prompting some governments to implement or consider social media bans for underage users.

As the EU's technology regulatory body, the European Commission stated that Meta failed to adequately assess the addiction risks posed by highly personalized recommendations, autoplay, and infinite scrolling, which continuously push new content to users and entice them to stay on the platform for extended periods.

The agency noted that short videos (Reels) and Stories features on Facebook and Instagram can lead to excessive and compulsive use of the platforms.

Regulators criticized the measures Meta has taken to mitigate these risks, stating that time management tools are easily overlooked, while parental control features require significant time, effort, and technical knowledge to use effectively.

The European Commission stated that Meta should default to disabling features like autoplay and infinite scrolling, introduce effective screen time break mechanisms, and reduce system recommendations to lower user engagement.

Meta Disputes the Accusations

Meta spokesperson Ben Walters stated, "We disagree with these preliminary findings, which do not accurately reflect the significant measures we have taken to protect young people."

"Since the start of this investigation, we have launched features for teen accounts that automatically protect young users and give parents control—allowing parents to block their children from accessing Instagram at night and limit daily screen time to 15 minutes."

Meta stated that it will continue to engage in constructive communication with EU regulators.

Henna Virkkunen, head of EU technology policy, stated, "Our starting point is that, based on our findings, this design is too addictive and needs to change."

"The next step is either Meta changes its design, or we will make a non-compliance decision."

Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue. The company can respond to these accusations before the European Commission makes a final decision in the coming months.

Global Regulatory Crackdown

In fact, Meta's social platforms are facing a global regulatory crackdown. Last month, the company failed to successfully dismiss a lawsuit brought by 29 state attorneys general in the United States, which accused Facebook and Instagram of making children addicted The European Commission is conducting a separate investigation into the "rabbit hole effect" caused by the recommendation systems of Facebook and Instagram, where algorithmic recommendations lead users to similar content, causing them to become engrossed for extended periods. In another case announced in April, the European Commission required Meta to take further measures to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing its social networks, or face fines.

Meta is also facing intense regulatory scrutiny in its core market of India. In early July, India issued two warning letters to Meta within a week: first, due to inappropriate content related to child sexual exploitation appearing in Instagram paid advertisements, the platform was ordered to immediately remove the violating content and submit an explanation within seven days; subsequently, the WhatsApp username feature was halted due to concerns that it could foster cybercrime. India is Meta's largest single market in terms of global user base, with hundreds of millions of users on both Instagram and Facebook, and over 500,000 users on WhatsApp.

The European Commission will receive the results of the expert investigation next Monday, which may pave the way for a ban on social media use by teenagers across Europe. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is expected to announce this ban in her state of the union address in September