EU orders Meta to remove addictive features or face significant fines

European regulators have moved to force an overhaul of the digital experience on Facebook and Instagram, charging that Meta has engineered its platforms to exploit human psychology at the expense of user wellbeing. In a formal notice issued Friday, 10 July 2026, the European Commission signaled that unless the company disables specific features blamed for compulsive usage, it faces the prospect of substantial financial penalties.

The regulatory action, grounded in the Digital Services Act, targets design elements that the European Commission claims push users—particularly minors and vulnerable adults—into an autopilot state of mind. Investigators highlighted infinite scrolling, autoplaying videos, push notifications, and highly personalized recommendation algorithms as the primary drivers of this behavior. According to the Commission, these features prevent users from making conscious decisions about their screen time, fostering unhealthy habits and compulsive engagement.

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Regulatory Demands and Potential Penalties

The Commission has demanded that Meta implement structural changes to its products. Specifically, the regulator wants the company to:

• Disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default.
• Introduce effective, non-dismissible screen-time breaks.
• Modify recommendation algorithms to be less focused on maximizing user engagement.

Should the company fail to satisfy these requirements, the Digital Services Act allows for fines reaching up to 6 percent of Meta’s total global annual turnover. Based on the firm's fiscal 2025 revenue of $200.97 billion, regulatory observers have estimated that a maximum penalty could potentially exceed $12 billion.

A Conflict Over Youth Protection

Central to the investigation, which began in May 2024, is Meta’s performance in protecting younger users. The European Commission reported that Meta failed to adequately account for the risks its platforms pose to the mental and physical health of children. Investigators pointed to evidence suggesting the company ignored data regarding the length of time minors spend on Instagram and Facebook during nighttime hours, as well as the addictive potential of formats like Reels and Stories.

Regulators were particularly dismissive of existing safeguards. In their preliminary findings, officials stated that time-management tools are too easily bypassed and that current parental control features require a level of technical expertise and consistent effort that many families cannot reasonably provide.

Meta has pushed back against these findings. A company spokesperson stated that the Commission’s assessment does not accurately reflect the measures the platform has implemented to protect teens. The company cited its recently introduced Teen Accounts, which allow parents to cap daily screen time and block nighttime access, as evidence of its commitment to safety. We share the European Commission’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive online experiences and will continue to engage constructively with them, the spokesperson said.

The Broader Business Context

This action arrives amid an intensifying campaign across the continent to tighten regulations on social media giants. The findings follow a separate Commission determination from April of this year regarding Meta’s inability to prevent children under the age of 13 from accessing its services.

Pressure is also mounting on the political front. Some member states, including France, are pushing for more aggressive measures, such as a bloc-wide ban on social media for minors, following similar restrictions enacted in Australia. Further guidance is expected Monday, when an expert panel is set to deliver recommendations on shielding children from harmful online content.

The confrontation is not limited to Europe. In the United States, Meta faces a wave of litigation, where four states are seeking penalties reaching as high as $1.4 trillion over allegations that the platforms were intentionally designed to addict young users. Earlier this year, a New Mexico jury found the company liable for $375 million in a similar case.

What Happens Next

The European Commission’s findings remain preliminary. Meta now has the right to review the evidence and submit a formal response to defend its design choices. For now, the outcome rests on whether Meta can convince regulators that its current protections are sufficient or if it will be forced to fundamentally alter the interface of its flagship platforms.