EU Threatens Meta With Fines Over Addictive Features
Get the Tech newsletter
Daily tech — startups, AI labs, chips, the launches that shape the next decade. Free.
- European Commission found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act, singling out infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation algorithms as addictive design features that push users into "autopilot mode."
- Commission specifically accused Meta of ignoring evidence about minors' nighttime use and how Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive use, and called Meta's existing time-management tools ineffective because they "can be easily dismissed."
- Commission demanded Meta disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and retool its recommendation algorithm to prioritize something other than raw user engagement.
- Meta will now review the evidence and submit a formal response; if the preliminary findings are confirmed, the company faces a fine of up to 6% of total global annual turnover.
- Meta is already on its second DSA breach finding this year, after April's ruling that Meta failed to prevent under-13s from using Facebook and Instagram.
- U.S., four states are seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties against Meta in a court filing made Monday, alleging it designed Facebook and Instagram to addict young users and misled the public about platform safety.
Why it matters: Meta faces simultaneous regulatory and legal assault on the same addictive-design thesis on two continents. In Europe, non-compliance now carries a 6% of global revenue exposure under the DSA; in the U.S., four state attorneys general are demanding $1.4 trillion on parallel claims. Meta's product roadmap for engagement-driven features like Reels and infinite scroll is now under direct legal pressure from multiple jurisdictions at once.
