Instagram, Facebook hiding a 'dark secret,' EU claims; company could pay a huge fine
The European Commission has accused Meta of violating the Digital Services Act, claiming its platforms are designed to foster addiction through features like infinite scroll and autoplay. Meta faces potential fines of up to 6% of its global annual turnover if the findings are upheld.
Why it matters
This represents a major regulatory challenge to the business models of big tech companies regarding user mental health and platform design.
Brussels has run out of patience with the scroll. The European Commission said on July 10 that it has preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act, concluding that Instagram and Facebook were built to keep people hooked rather than simply engaged.The list of culprits is familiar: infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and recommendation feeds tuned to know exactly what keeps a thumb moving. The ruling wraps up a two year investigation into what that design does to users' mental and physical wellbeing, with minors and vulnerable adults singled out as most at risk.The Commission's language is unusually blunt for a regulator—it says these features tip users' brains into "autopilot mode."
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