People familiar with the matter say the European Commission is set to ramp up an investigation into Meta Platforms on allegations that its social media products employ design features that are addictive for children. The review is focused on Facebook and Instagram and centers on whether user-interface decisions and product mechanics systematically keep young people engaged.
The Commission is said to be preparing preliminary findings that will specifically accuse Facebook and Instagram of using such design practices to maintain young users' attention. Officials have not set a public date for the release of those findings.
Meta Platforms and the European Commission did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The reporting on the Commission's preparations could not be independently verified.
The Commission is also considering regulatory measures similar to actions taken recently by the United Kingdom and other national authorities. Those potential restrictions would follow recommendations expected from an expert panel due next month, according to the people familiar with the matter. The nature of the prospective curbs has not been specified in the available information.
The probe follows the opening of a formal investigation under the Digital Services Act in May 2024, which was initiated over concerns that Meta had not adequately addressed risks to children on its platforms. In a related development, in April the EU charged Meta with breaching its technology rules and said the company must do more to prevent children under 13 from accessing the social networks.
Separately, in the United States Meta has been pursuing legislative relief. The company has lobbied Congress for legal immunity from child-harm claims as it confronts thousands of lawsuits brought by young users and their families, with that lobbying activity reported last week. Those legal pressures add to the regulatory scrutiny in Europe.
There have also been notable court developments. In March, a Los Angeles jury found Meta and Alphabet's Google negligent for designing social media platforms that harmed the youth, a decision that has added to the complex legal backdrop surrounding the company.
The intersection of regulatory scrutiny under the Digital Services Act, enforcement actions demanding stronger age-controls, and ongoing U.S. litigation creates a multifaceted challenge for Meta. The Commission's next steps - whether formal recommendations, constraints on product design, or other remedies - will be shaped in part by the expert panel's recommendations expected next month.
Given the unresolved timing for any official Commission announcement and the statement that the underlying reporting could not be independently verified, observers should treat the details of the Commission's preparatory findings as subject to confirmation.