The Children's Rights Alliance has expressed deep concern over a preliminary European Commission finding that the design of Facebook and Instagram may be addictive and in breach of the Digital Services Act.
EU's Preliminary Findings on Addictive Design
On Friday, the European Commission announced its interim conclusion that features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and highly personalised recommender systems on Instagram and Facebook contribute to “unhealthy habits and compulsive use”. The Commission stated that Meta's mitigation measures “failed to effectively tackle the risks” stemming from the addictive design and suggested that Meta may need to disable autoplay and infinite scroll as defaults and implement effective screen-time breaks.
Meta's Response and Potential Penalties
Meta now has the opportunity to respond and defend itself before the Commission issues its final decision, which could result in a fine of up to 6% of the company's global annual revenue. Meta said on Friday that the early findings do not recognise the steps the company has already taken and its commitment to protecting teenage users.
Children's Rights Alliance Reacts
Noeline Blackwell, online safety coordinator with the Children's Rights Alliance, an independent NGO representing children and young people, said the organisation was “extremely concerned” at the interim findings. “These findings bolster calls from the Children's Rights Alliance and other concerned advocacy groups, parents and young people – for a more robust regulatory response to harmful online content,” Blackwell said. She added that the Commission found that Meta disregarded information about how much time children and young people spend on Instagram and Facebook at night and the role of design formats in encouraging compulsive and excessive engagement.
Call for Safety-by-Design
Blackwell welcomed the Commission's proposal to disable key addictive features but called for a safety-by-design approach that would hold major tech players accountable for harms caused by their own design. “That is the standard required for most other products disseminated in the EU. Why should this tech giant be different?” she asked. While acknowledging that there is a long road ahead, she emphasised that platforms should at least be held responsible for harms caused by their own design.
