EU threatens Meta with hefty fine over 'addictive design'

The European Union has charged social media giant Meta with breaching the bloc's tech rules, threatening it with a heavy fine unless it changes Facebook's and Instagram's "addictive design."

This was revealed in the preliminary findings of an EU probe launched in 2024 to look into the US-based company's practices, especially in regards to protecting children. Brussels already issued a similar warning to TikTokback in February.

It is part of wider efforts by the EU to force Big Tech to better protect its users.What are the EU accusations against Meta?

The European Commission said Meta had failed to properly assess the addictive risks posed by certain features of its popular social media platforms.

It argued that features such as highly personalized recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll continuously feed users new content, making them more likely to stay longer on the apps.