European Commission finds Instagram and Facebook "shift the brain into 'autopilot mode', contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use"
I'd like to think that something will come of this initial finding against Meta for being in breach of the Digital Services Act.
I'm hopeful, if only because WhatsApp isn't included in this. It's very difficult for legislatures in this day and age to meaningfully find against social infrastructure (which is what WhatsApp has become in Europe) but it's much easier to regulate social media.
Today, the European Commission preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act for the addictive design of Instagram and Facebook. The investigation focuses on features such as infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications, and the platforms' highly personalised recommender systems.
Risk assessment
The Commission's investigation indicates that Meta did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults.
For example, Meta did not consider certain design features of Instagram and Facebook, such as highly personalised recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll, which constantly show users new content. These features fuel the user's urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode', contributing to unhealthy habits and compulsive use.
Moreover, Meta disregarded available information about the time minors spend on Instagram or Facebook at night and how the optimisation of its different formats - such as reels and stories - could lead to excessive or compulsive use of the services.
Risk mitigation measures
Evidence also shows that Meta's current mitigation measures failed to effectively tackle the risks stemming from its addictive design.
For example, Instagram's and Facebook's time management tools, including those activated by default for teens, can be easily dismissed and do not lead to a meaningful reduction and control of the usage of the service.
Moreover, the Commission considers that Meta's parental controls are only effective if parents and guardians possess adequate technical expertise, as well as devote effort and time to understand them effectively. This undermines the efficiency of such measures in addressing the inherent risks posed by Instagram and Facebook's addictive design.
Meta's awareness-raising measures, such as tips and links to mental health resources available via a separate ‘safety centre' page, do not seem to sufficiently mitigate the risk of addictive design on Facebook and Instagram.
At this stage of the investigation, the Commission considers that Meta needs to implement design changes to both Instagram and Facebook. For instance, by disabling key addictive features such as 'autoplay' and ‘infinite scroll' by default, implementing effective ‘screen time breaks', and adapting its recommender system to make it less engagement-oriented.
These preliminary findings do not prejudge the final outcome of the investigation.
Source: Original article · Are.na block · TechFreedom channel