The EU warns Meta: Facebook and Instagram's infinite scroll feature is addictive and may violate regulations

The EU regulatory agency in Brussels has issued a warning to Meta, stating that the infinite scroll design of Instagram and Facebook may violate the EU's new digital content regulatory laws. Regulatory authorities are currently intensifying their scrutiny of the negative impact of social media on minors.

On Friday, the European Commission released preliminary investigation findings, concluding that Meta failed to adequately assess and effectively mitigate the risks associated with the addictive features of its platform—designs that can harm users, particularly minors, both physically and mentally.

This warning comes amid a growing global public outcry against large tech companies and online platforms for their contribution to social issues.

In March of this year, a landmark lawsuit in the United States ruled that Meta is responsible, with the court finding that the product designs of platforms like Instagram deliberately induce addiction in children. Meanwhile, an increasing number of countries are implementing policies to ban social media use for individuals under 16 or are advancing related legislative bans.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will release a research report from an online expert group on minor safety on Monday, with several European countries already calling for Brussels to implement a ban on social media use for minors.

The EU is demanding that Meta redesign Instagram and Facebook, with rectification requirements including: disabling autoplay and infinite scroll features, and implementing effective timed breaks to prevent addiction.

The EU pointed out that Meta's existing time management tools (including a youth-specific mode) "are easily bypassed by users and do not effectively reduce or control platform usage time."

EU Digital Affairs Commissioner Helena Dalli stated, "Ensuring the physical and mental health of European citizens is the primary responsibility of social media platforms."

Meta responded on Friday, disagreeing with the European Commission's investigation findings, stating that the report "fails to objectively consider the numerous rectification measures we have implemented to protect minors."

In February of this year, the EU also issued a similar warning to TikTok on the grounds of addictive design, and the investigation related to TikTok is still ongoing.

In April of this year, the EU also penalized Meta, accusing it of failing to prevent children under 13 from registering to use Facebook and Instagram.

This investigation conclusion is part of a series of regulatory actions undertaken by the EU under the Digital Services Act. This legislation requires very large online platforms to identify and manage systemic risks associated with their products.

During the presidency of former U.S. President Donald Trump, there was strong opposition to the EU's enforcement of the Digital Services Act, with claims that the EU's regulation of online content is overly stringent.

If this preliminary violation conclusion is ultimately confirmed, Meta could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue