Brussels has decided that infinite scroll is not a feature but a hazard. On Friday, the European Commission told Meta to dismantle the design tricks that keep people glued to Facebook and Instagram, or risk a fine that could run into billions, in a fresh set of charges under the EU’s Digital Services Act.
The Commission’s preliminary findings accuse Meta of building the two platforms to get users hooked, and of failing to properly assess the risks that design poses to their physical and mental health, especially children and vulnerable adults. It is the latest turn in an addictive-design probe that has been building for more than a year.
The regulator was unusually specific about what it wants changed. Meta should disable features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks, and retune its recommender systems so they are less relentlessly oriented toward engagement.
Underneath the demand is a complaint about choice. The Commission said Meta does offer tools to manage time on its apps, but that they are too easily overridden, dismissed or technically awkward to use, leaving the default experience tuned for maximum attention rather than user wellbeing.
