Your Instagram doomscrolling could soon hit a wall, thanks to growing government pressure

Social media apps have become incredibly good at convincing us to stay “just a little longer.” You might unlock your phone to reply to a message, open Instagram for a quick look, and suddenly find yourself scrolling through posts you never intended to see. According to European regulators, that’s not simply a matter of weak self-control — it’s the result of deliberate app design.

The European Commission has found that Meta may be in breach of the Digital Services Act over the way Facebook and Instagram keep people engaged. If the company fails to address those concerns, it could be required to redesign key parts of both apps in Europe and reportedly face fines of up to $12 billion.

The Commission’s investigation focuses on many of the features that have become standard across social media apps. Infinite scrolling ensures there’s always another post waiting, videos start playing randomly, notifications repeatedly tempt you to come back, and recommendation systems continuously learn what grabs your attention and serve up even more of it. Regulators argue that, together, these features make it easy for users to keep consuming content without actively deciding to do so.

The report also says Meta’s current safeguards don’t go far enough. While Instagram and Facebook already offer screen-time reminders and parental controls, regulators believe those tools are either too easy to ignore or too difficult for families to set up effectively.

If the EC ultimately gets its way, users in Europe could see a noticeably different experience on Facebook and Instagram. Features like autoplay and infinite scrolling may no longer be enabled by default, recommendation algorithms could be tuned to focus less on maximizing engagement, and stronger prompts encouraging users to take breaks could become part of the experience.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t the final word just yet. Meta will now have an opportunity to review the Commission’s findings, examine the evidence gathered during the investigation, and formally respond before any final decision is made. The European Board for Digital Services will also weigh in as part of the process.

If the Commission ultimately upholds its preliminary conclusions, it could officially rule that Meta failed to comply with the Digital Services Act. That decision could result in a hefty financial penalty, with fines up to 6% of the company’s annual global revenue, depending on the seriousness and duration of the alleged violations.