Overview
- The European Commission issued preliminary charges on Friday that Facebook and Instagram breach the Digital Services Act by using autoplay, infinite scroll and highly personalized recommendations to encourage compulsive use.
- Brussels told Meta to disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen‑time breaks and make its recommender systems less engagement‑driven or face a formal non‑compliance ruling.
- Meta disputed the findings, pointed to its Teen Accounts and other safety tools, and said it will submit a written defence before the commission reaches a final decision.
- If the charges are confirmed Meta could face fines of up to 6% of global turnover and Brussels said it prefers binding commitments but will impose penalties if required.
- The move follows earlier EU action against TikTok and recent U.S. state lawsuits, and could force major changes to attention‑driven product design that shapes young people’s daily screen time.