Meta is being investigated by the European Commission for harmful and addictive design features on Instagram and Facebook, with the US tech giant expected to face a fine in the billions of euros.
The commission’s preliminary findings released on Friday (10 July) suggest that features like attention capture and infinite scrolling are in breach of the Digital Services Act 2022, which aims to safeguard EU citizens from internet harms, scams, and illegal content.
The commission’s investigation found Mark Zuckerberg’s tech conglomerate at fault for not properly assessing the risks of addiction attached to such design choices, while also lacking effective mitigation measures.
“There is no effective screen-time measuring tool, no effective awareness raising measures, no effective parental control” commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier told press.
Personalised recommendations and autoplay fuel the user’s urge to keep scrolling, leading to compulsive use, sleep deprivation, and heightened mental health risks.
