EU finds Meta breached Digital Services Act over addictive Instagram and Facebook features

The European Commission has preliminarily ruled that Meta violated the Digital Services Act through addictive design features on Instagram and Facebook. Features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalised feeds were found to harm users, particularly teenagers. Brussels is demanding that autoplay and infinite scroll be disabled by default, along with mandatory screen time breaks. Meta could face a fine of up to 6% of its global turnover if the findings are upheld. The company has disputed the ruling, arguing that its existing Teen Accounts safeguards already provide adequate user protection.