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TechEU Commission preliminarily finds Meta's Facebook and Instagram in breach of Digital Services Act
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The European Commission has issued preliminary findings accusing Meta of breaching the EU's Digital Services Act through deliberately addictive design features on Facebook and Instagram. The investigation highlights features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and personalized recommendations that fuel compulsive use, sleep deprivation, and mental health risks. The Commission found Meta failed to properly assess addiction risks and lacked effective mitigation measures, including inadequate screen-time tools and parental controls. If the preliminary breach holds, Meta could face a fine of up to six percent of its global annual turnover, potentially reaching €11 billion based on its 2025 revenue of €176 billion. Meta has previously faced EU fines totaling €200 million in April 2025 for Digital Markets Act non-compliance and a €797 million fine in 2024 for Facebook Marketplace malpractice. The company reaches 270 million users in the EU, over half the continent's population.
Source report
The European Commission is investigating Meta for harmful and addictive design features on Instagram and Facebook, with the US tech giant expected to face a fine in the billions of euros.
Preliminary Findings
The commission’s preliminary findings, released on Friday (10 July), suggest that features such as attention capture and infinite scrolling breach the Digital Services Act 2022. The legislation aims to safeguard EU citizens from internet harms, scams, and illegal content.
The investigation found Meta at fault for:
- Failing to properly assess the risks of addiction linked to its design choices
- Lacking effective mitigation measures
Ineffective Safeguards
Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told the press: "There is no effective screen-time measuring tool, no effective awareness raising measures, no effective parental control."
Personalised recommendations and autoplay fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling, leading to:
- Compulsive use
- Sleep deprivation
- Heightened mental health risks
Any tools proposed by the social media network, such as time management settings, require parents to possess adequate technical expertise and have been widely ineffective.
Potential Penalties
Should Meta be unable to contest the findings, and should the preliminary breach hold throughout the commission's investigation, the social media giant could face a fine capped at six percent of its global annual turnover.
Based on the company's 2025 revenue of €176 billion, the fine could reach €11 billion.
Previous EU Fines
The EU has demonstrated its willingness to confront Meta with:
- €200 million in fines in April 2025 for non-compliance with the EU's Digital Markets Act
- €797 million fine in 2024 over Facebook Marketplace ads malpractice
User Reach
Meta reaches 270 million users in the EU, accounting for well over half the continent's population.
Source
EUobserverWestern
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EU Accuses Meta of Violating Digital Services Act with Addictive Design on Instagram and Facebook