Overview
- The European Commission issued preliminary findings on Friday, July 10, 2026, saying Facebook and Instagram use autoplay, infinite scroll and highly personalized recommenders that breach the Digital Services Act.
- Brussels told Meta to disable autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce meaningful screen‑time breaks and make recommendation systems less engagement‑driven.
- The Commission found those features risk users’ physical and mental wellbeing—especially children and vulnerable adults—and judged Meta’s current time‑management prompts and parental controls ineffective.
- Meta disputed the assessment and highlighted recent Teen Accounts and other safety tools, and the company has the right to submit a formal defence before a final decision is made.
- If the charges are confirmed the firm could face fines up to 6% of global turnover, regulators prefer binding commitments but will issue non‑compliance rulings if Meta fails to change its designs, and the move echoes earlier EU action against TikTok and ongoing U.S. legal pressure.