European Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act

The European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook. The investigation focuses on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the platforms' highly personalised recommender systems. The investigation indicates that Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental well-being of users, including minors and vulnerable adults. For example, Meta did not consider certain design features of Instagram and Facebook, such as highly personalised recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll, which constantly show users new content. These features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode', contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use. Moreover, Meta disregarded available information about the time minors spend on Instagram or Facebook at night and how the optimisation of its different formats - such as reels and stories - could lead to excessive or compulsive use of the services. Evidence also shows that Meta's current mitigation measures failed to effectively tackle the risks stemming from its addictive design.