The European Commission has brought accusations against Meta, claiming the company has not sufficiently tackled the mental health risks linked to features on Facebook and Instagram. The Commission argues that core elements of these platforms, such as autoplay videos, infinite scrolling, reels, and stories, may foster excessive and compulsive use, keeping users engaged longer than is healthy.
Concerns have been raised by regulators specifically about the effects these platform features have on children and teenagers, including promoting late-night usage. This issue is part of an ongoing investigation under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which mandates online platforms to mitigate risks associated with user safety and harmful online practices.
EU officials are advocating for changes to the design of Facebook and Instagram. They suggest implementing measures like default settings that limit autoplay and infinite scrolling, introducing reminders for screen breaks, and tweaking recommendation algorithms to curb compulsive engagement.
Meta, however, has rejected these preliminary findings. The company highlights that it has already implemented various protective measures, including Teen Accounts, parental controls, screen-time limits, and nighttime access restrictions, aimed at safeguarding younger users.
Should the European Commission confirm these findings upon concluding its investigation, Meta might face penalties amounting to as much as 6% of its global annual revenue for breaching the Digital Services Act.