FeurstagramInstagram's addictive design: what the EU found
What the Commission cited
According to the Commission's announcement, the investigation focused on design features that keep people using the apps:
- Infinite scroll: feeds with no natural end point.
- Autoplay: the next video starts without any action.
- Push notifications that pull people back into the app.
- Highly personalised recommender systems that learn what keeps each person watching.
The Commission's view is that Meta did not properly assess how these features affect the wellbeing of users, in particular minors and vulnerable adults, and that the measures Meta put in place to reduce those risks were not effective. Short-video feeds such as Reels combine exactly those features: they autoplay, never end, and are driven by recommendations.
What happens next
Preliminary findings open the next stage of the procedure. Meta can examine the investigation file and reply in writing before the Commission takes any final decision. If a breach is confirmed, the DSA allows fines of up to 6% of a company's total worldwide annual turnover, and the Commission can require changes to the service.
Whatever the outcome, a final decision and any design changes will take time, and they would apply to the EU, not everywhere.
What you can do now
You don't have to wait for regulators to change how you use Instagram:
- Turn off non-essential notifications in Instagram's settings and in Android's app notification settings.
- Use the Following feed to see accounts you follow in chronological order, instead of recommendations.
- Set a daily time limit with Android's Digital Wellbeing or Instagram's own time-spent tools.
- Remove the endless surfaces altogether. On Android, Feurstagram removes the Reels tab, the Reels feed, the home feed and Explore from the Instagram app, while messages, stories and notifications keep working.
Sources
- European Commission, “Commission preliminarily finds the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook in breach of the Digital Services Act”, July 10, 2026.
- CNN, “Facebook and Instagram's ‘addictive design’ may violate European law, EU Commission finds”, July 10, 2026.
This page summarises public reporting and is not legal advice.