Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier criticized the company for offering inadequate safety tools, noting a distinct lack of effective screen-time monitoring and parental controls. While Meta provides time management settings, regulators argue these features require a level of technical expertise that renders them ineffective for the average user. The investigation centers on how personalized recommendations and autoplay functions exploit user behavior, contributing to sleep deprivation and deeper mental health concerns.
Meta faces multi-billion euro fine over addictive platform design
The European Commission has accused Meta of violating the Digital Services Act, citing infinite scrolling and attention-capture algorithms as primary drivers of compulsive use. Preliminary findings suggest Mark Zuckerberg’s company failed to mitigate significant mental health risks, potentially triggering a record-breaking penalty of up to eleven billion euros.
Should the preliminary findings hold, Meta faces a fine capped at six percent of its global annual turnover. Based on the company’s 2025 revenue of 176 billion euros, the potential penalty could reach 11 billion euros. This move marks a significant escalation in Brussels’ crackdown on Big Tech, following previous fines totaling 200 million euros earlier in 2025 and a 797 million euro penalty in 2024 regarding marketplace malpractice. With 270 million users across the European Union, the outcome of this case will set a critical precedent for how social media platforms are required to balance engagement-driven business models with consumer protection laws.
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