EU accuses Meta of failing to tackle mental health risks of 'addictive design'

The European Commission has issued preliminary findings saying Meta may have breached the Digital Services Act by failing to address the risks posed by design features on Facebook and Instagram that can encourage compulsive use.

Officials said the company did not adequately assess the effects of autoplay, infinite scroll and personalized recommendations. The Commission said those features may contribute to addictive behavior and can harm users’ physical and mental health, including that of minors.

Meta said the findings do not reflect the steps it has taken to protect teenagers, pointing to its Teen Accounts product, parental controls and screen-time limits. The company will now have an opportunity to respond before Brussels decides whether to move to a final enforcement decision.

If the Commission’s view is confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.

What Brussels says

The case is part of a broader European Commission investigation into Meta that began in 2024, according to later reporting. The current focus is not just on content moderation, but on whether Facebook and Instagram are designed in ways that push users toward longer and more frequent sessions.

The Commission said Meta’s screen-time and parental-control tools can be too easy to dismiss, can be overridden in practice, or are technically difficult to use. Reporting on the case also said officials are concerned about compulsive use linked to reels and stories, as well as nighttime use by minors.

Officials are said to want Meta to consider design changes such as disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default, adding screen breaks and making recommendations less engagement-oriented. Those possible remedies suggest Brussels is willing to pressure product design itself, not only how the platforms moderate content.

Meta’s response

Meta disputes the allegation that it failed to protect teens. The company says its Teen Accounts features already give parents more control and include limits intended to reduce time spent in its apps.

That response sets up the core dispute in the case: Meta argues it has already deployed safeguards, while the Commission says those tools are not sufficient and do not fully address the risks identified in its preliminary assessment.

The company can now submit its defense before any final ruling. The Commission has not yet said it will impose a penalty or order specific product changes.

Why it matters

The stakes are significant. A confirmed DSA breach could expose Meta to a fine worth as much as 6% of worldwide annual revenue, and it could also force design changes to Facebook and Instagram defaults and recommendation systems.

The case is also important beyond Meta. It is one of the clearest tests yet of how far the EU will go in treating addictive design and teen safety as systemic risks under the Digital Services Act.

That makes the dispute a potential precedent for other major platforms that rely on recommendation engines, autoplay features and endless-feed mechanics. It also comes as the EU continues broader policy work on child online safety.

What happens next

Meta is expected to present its formal rebuttal to the Commission. Brussels will then decide whether to confirm the preliminary findings and turn the case into a final enforcement decision.

The Commission could narrow the scope of the case, press for specific changes to the platforms or proceed toward fines if it concludes the risks were not adequately mitigated.

The regulatory pressure is running in parallel with wider EU debates over social-media safety for children and teenagers. For now, the immediate question is whether Meta can convince Brussels that its existing protections are enough, or whether Facebook and Instagram will have to be redesigned to comply.