Azernews.Az

by Alimat Aliyeva

The European Commission has called on Meta Platforms Inc. to make significant changes to the design of Instagram and Facebook, arguing that certain platform features may violate the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), AzerNEWS reports, citing foreign media.

In a statement released on Friday, the Commission said its preliminary findings indicate that Meta did not adequately assess the potential risks that its platform design poses to users’ physical and mental well-being, particularly children, teenagers, and other vulnerable groups.

EU regulators have specifically raised concerns about features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, and recommendation algorithms that encourage users to spend more time on the platforms. The Commission is urging Meta to disable these features by default, introduce more effective screen-time reminders and breaks, and make changes to its content recommendation systems to reduce potentially harmful user engagement.

If Meta fails to address the concerns and is ultimately found to be in breach of the Digital Services Act, the company could face fines of up to 6% of its global annual revenue.

The investigation is part of the European Union’s broader effort to hold major technology companies more accountable for the impact their platforms have on users. The Digital Services Act, which came into force to strengthen online safety, gives regulators new powers to require large digital platforms to better protect consumers, increase transparency, and reduce the spread of harmful or addictive content.