The European Union has preliminarily found Meta in breach of its digital laws, citing "addictive" design features on Instagram and Facebook. The European Commission contends that Meta failed to adequately assess risks associated with elements like infinite scroll, autoplay, and personalized recommendations, which can lead to excessive use and impact users' well-being, particularly minors.

The EU also accused Meta of neglecting data on youth screen time and the impact of various content formats. If confirmed, Meta could face fines up to 6% of its total annual turnover. The commission is pushing for design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default and enforcing screen time breaks.

Meta disputes the findings, stating it has already implemented measures like Teen Accounts to protect younger users, offering parental controls and daily screen time limits. This marks the second time this year Meta has faced EU scrutiny over its platforms' safety features, following a previous finding regarding under-13 access. The ongoing investigations and potential regulatory actions signal increasing pressure on social media giants to reform their core product designs.