The European Union accused META of failing to limit the risks the platforms posed to users, especially children and vulnerable adults, because of features designed to keep them on Facebook and Instagram.
It warned the tech giant tech giant must change Facebook’s and Instagram’s addictive design or face a heavy fine,
In its preliminary findings, the European Commission said features such as infinite scroll, auto playing videos and personalised recommendations could encourage “compulsive use”, particularly among children and teens.
The Commission said Meta failed to adequately assess the risks posed by how Facebook and Instagram were designed, as well as how long children spend on the platforms, particularly at night.
It proposed disabling key addictive features such as auto play and infinite scroll by default, implementing effective screen time breaks and adapting its recommender system to make it less engagement-oriented
If Meta does not make suitable changes, it could be fined up to 6% of its total global annual turnover
