Meta Disputes EU Claims of Addictive Design on Instagram, Facebook
Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.
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- Meta disputes the European Commission's preliminary findings that Instagram and Facebook have addictive designs harmful to minors.
- The tech giant argues that the Commission overlooked significant measures it has implemented to protect young users.
- Meta faces potential fines of up to 6% of its annual global turnover if it fails to comply with the Digital Services Act.
Tech giant Meta has pushed back against the European Commission's preliminary conclusions, asserting that Brussels failed to acknowledge the "important" steps the company has taken to safeguard minors on its platforms, Instagram and Facebook. The Commission had previously stated that both social media services possess addictive designs that pose risks to users' well-being.
We disagree with these preliminary conclusions, which do not accurately reflect the significant measures we have taken to protect teenagers.
A Meta spokesperson stated, "We disagree with these preliminary conclusions, which do not accurately reflect the significant measures we have taken to protect teenagers." The company highlighted features like "Teen Accounts," which automatically shield younger users from certain content, and parental control tools that allow parents to limit screen time to as little as 15 minutes daily and block access at night.
They protect them automatically from the content they see and have parental control tools that allow parents to block access to Instagram at night and limit screen time to just 15 minutes a day.
The European Commission's investigation, launched in May 2024, concluded that features such as infinite scrolling, auto-playing videos, notifications, and highly personalized content contribute to "unhealthy habits and compulsive use." The Commission believes these elements activate the brain's "autopilot mode," potentially harming the physical and mental well-being of vulnerable users, including minors. This follows an earlier accusation in April 2024 that Meta lacked effective measures to prevent children under 13 from accessing its platforms.
The two platforms have an addictive design, due to their infinite scroll, automatic video playback, notifications, and highly personalized content that put the physical and mental well-being of users, including minors and vulnerable adults, at risk.
Brussels also contends that Meta has ignored data regarding nighttime usage by minors and that its time management tools, even those activated by default for teens, can be easily deactivated. Furthermore, the Commission suggests that parental controls are only truly effective if parents possess adequate technical knowledge and dedicate significant effort to understanding their functionality. Meta has the opportunity to contest these allegations, but failure to comply with the Digital Services Act could result in fines up to 6% of its global annual revenue. Meta has pledged to continue working constructively with the Commission, sharing its commitment to providing safe online experiences for teenagers.
The Commission believes that the social media functions 'activate the brain's 'autopilot mode,' contributing to the formation of unhealthy habits and compulsive use.'
DistantNews Editorial
Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.
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