Instagram and Facebook on 10th July maintained that they violated their tech guidelines, and regulators called for modifications to features that keep users addicted to the apps, or they will face penalties for autoplay and infinite scroll.

The European Commission’s preliminary findings come after two years of investigation under the European Union’s new and groundbreaking Digital Services Act, which mandates that big online platforms must do more to combat illegal and harmful content.

Globally, social media companies are increasingly being investigated for their alleged role in 

a children’s mental health crisis because of concerns that they are causing a crisis in mental health for children and adolescents.

Meta’s highly personalised recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll algorithms are all contributing to users consuming more content, making it harder for them to stop using the app, the Commission, the EU’s tech regulator, said.

Reels and stories on Facebook and Instagram can lead to compulsive use or excessive use, it said.

The regulator also found fault with the steps taken by Meta to address the risks, stating that time management tools can be turned off easily and parental controls need “a good amount of time, effort and technical knowledge” to be effective.

The Commission recommended that Meta turn off features like autoplay, infinite scroll and other features by default and add meaningful screen-time breaks and reduce the emphasis on their recommendation system on engagement.

META’S VIEWS ON THE CHARGES

“We disagree with these preliminary ​findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens,” Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said.

“Since this investigation ​began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control – allowing them to block access to Instagram at night ‌and cap ⁠daily screen time at just 15 minutes.”

Meta added that it would continue to engage constructively with EU regulators.

The premise of our discussions is that this design is addictive and has to be changed, Virkkunen, head of the EU’s tech department, told Reuters.

“Either that or a non-compliance decision will occur is the next step,” continues The Next Step.

Meta, which risks a fine of up to 6% ​of its global annual turnover, can ​respond to the charges before ⁠the Commission issues a final decision in the coming months.

Last month, the company lost its effort to have 29 attorneys general from the United States states drop their lawsuit alleging that Facebook and Instagram are “addictive” to young people.

The EU allegations against Meta are similar to those against TikTok, which were lodged in February when the EU regulators asked for identical modifications to the TikTok app.

Facebook’s algorithm has been accused of pushing users into “rabbit holes” by recommending content that causes them to spend long periods of time on the site. In another April announcement, it warned Meta to take some action to keep children under 13 years old from accessing its social networks, or it would be fined.

The Commission is set to get input from experts on Monday that will help the groundwork for a European-wide ban on social media for teens that Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will announce in her state of the union address in September.