The noose is tightening on Meta in Europe: Brussels ordered the American technology giant on Friday to modify the interfaces of Facebook and Instagram deemed far too “addictive”, under penalty of a very heavy fine.
Brussels criticizes Mark Zuckerberg’s group for not having correctly assessed and limited the risks of users of the two platforms developing addictions, in particular minors and vulnerable adults, due to functions aimed at retaining their attention as long as possible.
These include unlimited streams of content, highly personalized recommendations, and even automatic video launch. So many functions which aim to inflate the advertising revenues of the two platforms, by encouraging users to “scroll” without limits.
Algorithms in Brussels’ sights
“These features fuel users’ need to keep scrolling, and put their brains into autopilot mode, contributing to unhealthy behaviors and compulsive use,” explained the European Commission.
In addition, the European executive is not satisfied with the parental controls integrated into Facebook and Instagram, which would be too complicated to manage, nor with the settings to limit the screen time of teenagers. “We contest these preliminary conclusions, which do not take into account the important measures we have taken to protect teenagers,” responded a Meta spokesperson.
“We share the European Commission’s desire to provide a safe and positive online environment,” added the group, recalling that its accounts dedicated to teenagers, launched two years ago, allow parents “to block Instagram during the night and limit screen time during the day to only 15 minutes”. The European Commission issued these preliminary injunctions as part of an investigation launched in May 2024 against Mark Zuckerberg’s group, suspected of not doing enough to protect minors online.
“A priority”
This procedure is carried out under the European regulation on digital services (the DSA), on behalf of which Brussels sent a similar request to TikTok at the beginning of the year. “Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social networks. The DSA gives us a framework to make them face their responsibilities,” said the Vice-President of the Commission in charge of Digital, Henna Virkkunen.
Meta will now have the opportunity to defend itself and propose measures to remedy the failings with which it is accused. But if the European Commission is not satisfied, the American technology giant could face a hefty fine, weighing up to 6% of its annual global turnover.
However, “what we want is to obtain changes,” assured another Commission official, recognizing that “there is a difference between TikTok and Meta, in the sense that Meta has always tried to act in terms of the protection of minors”, particularly via accounts dedicated to teenagers.
A multi-billion fine at stake
As part of this same European investigation, the group based in Menlo Park in California was also accused a few months ago of letting many children under the age of 13 access Facebook and Instagram, thus exposing them to multiple risks for their well-being and their physical and mental development.
The group faces similar charges in the United States. In March, a Los Angeles jury sentenced Meta and Google to pay six million dollars to a young woman, finding them responsible for the addictive nature of their respective platforms Instagram and YouTube, a historic first. These European procedures targeting Meta are part of a broader offensive by Brussels to strengthen the protection of children and adolescents online.
Brussels is considering harmonized measures at European level to limit the access of children and adolescents to social networks. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is due to receive the conclusions of a committee of experts on this subject on Monday, and is expected to announce decisions at the start of the school year.
