Meta must redesign Facebook and Instagram to reduce addictive features or face a substantial financial penalty, the European Union warned after concluding that the company’s platforms may violate the bloc’s digital content rules.

The European Commission said its preliminary assessment found that Meta had failed to adequately reduce risks to users, particularly children and vulnerable adults, because several platform features encourage prolonged engagement.

Regulators identified features such as infinite scrolling, highly personalised content feeds and automatic video playback as major concerns.

“Protecting the physical and mental health of Europeans must be a priority for social media platforms,” EU technology chief Henna Virkkunen said.

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The Commission said Meta should introduce significant design changes to both Facebook and Instagram.

Officials suggested measures including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, introducing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation algorithms to prioritise user wellbeing over engagement.

Meta rejected the Commission’s preliminary findings but said it would continue to work with European regulators.

The company said the assessment failed to fully recognise the steps it has already taken to protect younger users.

If the EU confirms its findings after completing the investigation, regulators could impose a fine of up to six per cent of Meta’s global annual revenue under the Digital Services Act.

A senior EU official said the Commission’s primary objective is to encourage meaningful changes rather than impose financial penalties.

“We want to bring about change, and if we can get that change via commitments then we would be most happy,” the official said.

The warning comes ahead of recommendations from an expert panel examining stronger protections for children online.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen faces growing pressure from several member states, including France, to introduce stricter restrictions on children’s access to social media following Australia’s ban on social media use for users under 16.

The EU launched its investigation into Meta in 2024 under the Digital Services Act, one of the bloc’s key laws regulating online platforms.

The Commission also criticised Facebook and Instagram’s existing safety tools, saying users can easily dismiss screen-time reminders while parental controls require technical knowledge that many families may not possess.

Regulators further argued that Meta failed to properly consider how late-night app use and engagement-focused features, including Reels and Stories, could encourage compulsive behaviour among younger users.

Meta responded by highlighting its teen account features, which allow parents to block Instagram access overnight and limit daily screen time to 15 minutes.

The broader EU investigation also continues to examine whether Facebook and Instagram’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by repeatedly suggesting increasingly similar or extreme content.

Meta has also faced legal scrutiny in the United States, where courts have e