Meta has been warned that it must change Facebook and Instagram’s ‘addictive’ features or it will face heavy fines.
Tech giant Meta has been warned by the European Commission that it must change ‘addictive’ features like infinite scroll, autoplay videos, and highly personalised recommendations – all of which are said to encourage ‘compulsive use’ especially amongst young people and teenagers.
Meta faces fines of up to 6% of its total global annual turnover (in 2025, this would equate to roughly $12bn), BBC reports.
The EU has been concerned with the effects of social media on teens, with research finding that addictive features ‘fuel the urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain of users into ‘autopilot mode’, which may ‘lead to compulsive behaviour and reduce ‘self-control’.
A Meta spokesperson told the publication that the company disagreed with the EU’s 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 Commission argues that safeguards like time-management tools can be dismissed, and don’t meaningfully reduce usage, and that stronger mitigating measures should be implemented.
Across the Atlantic, Meta is facing a total of $1.4trn in mental health lawsuits, brought forward by school districts, teenagers, and parents who allege that Meta’s social media platforms have contributed to a decline in mental health.
This equates to roughly the same amount at the tech giant’s market value, which sits at $1.7trn. Meta has lost a number of these cases already, and has gone as far as to ask Congress for immunity against these cases – illustrating a clear concern in the company that payouts could be seriously damaging.
