EU Set to Accuse Meta of Addictive Design on Instagram and Facebook

A New Front in the EU's Battle With Meta

The European Commission is preparing to issue preliminary findings accusing Meta of deploying exploitative design techniques on Facebook and Instagram that keep young users hooked, according to Bloomberg News. The escalation marks a new front in an ongoing Digital Services Act (DSA) investigation first opened in May 2024, expanding the inquiry from age-verification failures to the very architecture of Meta's platforms.

From Age Checks to Addictive Architecture

The expected move follows a template the Commission set earlier this year. In February 2026, regulators issued their first-ever preliminary findings on addictive design, accusing TikTok of features like infinite scrolling, autoplay, and hyper-personalised recommendation systems that push users into what officials called "autopilot mode". The Commission warned TikTok that incremental tweaks would not be enough and that its core design would need restructuring.

In April, regulators turned to Meta, finding that Facebook and Instagram were failing to keep children under 13 off the platforms. The Commission estimated that roughly 10 to 12 per cent of under-13s in the EU were accessing Instagram or Facebook, and that Meta's tool for reporting underage accounts required up to seven clicks to reach the form. Meta disputed those findings, saying it had "measures in place to detect and remove accounts from anyone under that age".

Infinite Scroll and the Rabbit Hole

Now, applying the same addictive-design framework used against TikTok, the Commission appears poised to challenge features such as infinite scrolling and algorithmic "rabbit-hole" effects on Meta's platforms, concerns regulators first flagged when opening the probe in 2024.

Fines and a Broader Crackdown

If the preliminary findings are confirmed and Meta fails to address the Commission's concerns, the company could face fines of up to 6 per cent of its total global annual revenue. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called in May for action against "addictive and detrimental design practices", previewing a forthcoming Digital Fairness Act that would codify broader restrictions.

The regulatory pressure lands as Meta faces mounting legal exposure on both sides of the Atlantic. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Google liable for designing addictive platforms that harmed a young user. Meanwhile, Meta has reportedly been lobbying US lawmakers for federal immunity from state-level child-harm lawsuits as part of negotiations around the Kids Online Safety Act.