The European Commission has previously found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA) due to the problematic design of Instagram and Facebook, paving the way for a billion-euro fine.
Friday's disclosure focuses on features that include endless scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalized recommendation algorithms — tools that regulators say shift users into "autopilot mode" and encourage compulsive use.
“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans should be a priority for social media platforms,” said Henna Virkkunen, the Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Sovereignty, Security and Democracy in Technology, in a press release.
"The Digital Services Act provides a clear framework to hold platforms accountable for the design and addictive effects of their services. We are fully committed to enforcing our legislation in Europe," the statement continued.
The Commission's investigation, launched in May 2024, found that Meta failed to properly assess the risks that its platforms pose to the physical and mental well-being of users – particularly minors and vulnerable adults.
Investigators found that the company had ignored data on how much time teenagers spend on Instagram and Facebook at night, and how optimizing formats such as videos and stories could lead to excessive or compulsive use.
Meta's existing safeguards were also found to be lacking. The commission said time management tools, including those that are automatically activated for teenagers, can be easily ignored and do not significantly reduce usage.
Meanwhile, parental controls were found to be effective only for parents with sufficient technical expertise and time to use them, an assumption that regulators said undermined their value.
The commission has called on Meta to make structural changes to the design of both platforms, which include disabling features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, introducing effective screen time limits, and adapting its recommendation systems to make them less engagement-oriented.
The preliminary findings do not prejudge a final outcome. Meta now has the right to review the Commission's investigation files and respond in writing before any decision on non-compliance is issued.
If the findings are ultimately confirmed, Meta faces a fine of up to 6% of its annual worldwide turnover – a figure that could go to more than $12 billion (11 billion euros) based on the company's 2025 revenue of just under $201 billion.
This is the latest in a series of DSA actions against major platforms.
The first two fines under the law were a hefty €120 million fine issued against Elon Musk's X in December and an increasingly larger €200 million fine against Chinese e-commerce giant Temu in May.
The investigation is also being conducted alongside a separate inquiry into Meta's age assurance measures for people under 13, for which preliminary findings were approved in April.
