Meta faces EU DSA action over app design
- The European Commission found Meta’s Instagram and Facebook may have breached the Digital Services Act over addictive design features.
- Meta could face a fine of up to 6% of worldwide annual turnover if the findings are confirmed.
- The commission proposed changes, including adjustments to autoplay, infinite scroll and recommendation systems.
Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) faces preliminary findings from the European Commission that Instagram and Facebook may have violated the European Union’s Digital Services Act through design features that regulators say could encourage compulsive user engagement.
The investigation, launched in May 2024, examined features including infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and personalized recommendations, with regulators comparing their effects against requirements for protecting users’ physical and mental wellbeing.
“The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services,” said European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen.
The European Commission said Meta’s safeguards, including teen time-management tools and parental controls, were insufficient, and proposed measures such as removing default autoplay and infinite scroll settings and improving screen-time interruption features.
If the preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a penalty of up to 6% of its global annual turnover, which could exceed $12 billion based on the company’s 2025 revenue of nearly $201 billion.
Meta operates Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and other digital platforms, with advertising revenue representing the majority of its business and user engagement remaining a key factor in platform performance.
The European Union has increased regulatory scrutiny of major technology platforms under the Digital Services Act, with Meta previously facing other investigations related to child protection and platform safety requirements.
