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

EU regulators have accused Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, of failing to tackle the risks of its “addictive design” on the physical and mental health of users.In an official charge sheet against Meta released on Friday, the European Commission said features such as video autoplay and infinite scroll, which provides an endless stream of content, “shift the brain into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use”.In a significant finding, as the EU considers a social media ban for minors, the commission said Meta had disregarded available information about the time children spend on Instagram and Facebook at night, and how features, such as reels and stories, could lead to “excessive or even compulsive use of its services”.The commission said the addictive design of Facebook and Instagram was a breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act, which aims to protect users from a wide range of internet harms, including shopping scams, disinformation and illegal content.A Meta spokesperson said: “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens. Since this investigation began, we rolled out ‘Teen Accounts’ that automatically protect teens and put parents in control – allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at just 15 minutes.”The findings are part of a wide-ranging investigation into Meta launched in May 2024. EU officials continue to assess other charges, notably “rabbit hole” effects, where an algorithm feeds young people negative content, such as on unrealistic body images. In another strand of the investigation, the commission said Meta had broken EU law – and its own terms and conditions – by failing to prevent children under 13 from using Facebook and Instagram.EU officials want Meta to change the design of Instagram and Facebook by, for instance, scrapping autoplay and infinite scroll as default settings, implementing screen breaks and changing its algorithm, so users are offered less personal content.Meta has the right to mount a defence and may examine the commission’s investigation files. If the ruling is confirmed, the company could be fined up to 6% of its total annual turnover.The charges come days before a long-awaited report from an expert panel convened by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, examining social media bans for children. The special panel for child safety online is due to present recommendations on Monday.Von der Leyen has already revealed her thinking, telling an AI safety conference in May: “We must consider a social media delay.” The commission president, a mother of seven who trained as a doctor, said: “The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, the question is whether social media should have access to young people.”At least 10 EU member states are already drawing up plans for a social media ban, including France, Italy and Spain, putting pressure on the commission to come up with an EU-wide solution or risk a hotchpotch of different rules.Announcing the latest charges against Meta, the commission’s lead official on tech policy, Henna Virkkunen, said: “The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the addictive design and effects of their services. We are fully committed to enforcing our legislation in Europe.”