The European Union is pressing Meta to introduce stronger protections for children after the company agreed to major restrictions on teen use of Facebook and Instagram in the United States.
The European Commission said Thursday that it expects Meta to address features that can encourage excessive use of its platforms. Brussels has been examining the same concerns raised in the US case.
Last month, the commission found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act (DSA). The EU law requires large online platforms to take stronger steps to protect users, including children and teenagers.
European Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said Brussels had held further discussions with Meta since the US settlement. He said the commission had followed the case closely and now expects the company to present its own proposals for the European market.
EU Demands Stronger Child Protection
Regnier said Meta already knows what the EU expects and must now put forward commitments that provide strong protection for young users in Europe.
The commission is particularly concerned about features such as endless scrolling, personalised content feeds and automatic video playback. Officials believe these functions can encourage children to spend excessive amounts of time on social media.
“We expect proper screen time management. We expect proper parental control on these platforms,” Regnier told reporters.
The EU also wants Meta to introduce safeguards that help parents manage how their children use Facebook and Instagram.
Meta has disagreed with the European Commission’s findings. However, the company has said it will continue discussions with EU officials and engage constructively on the issue.
Meta Faces Possible EU Fine
The European Commission has significant enforcement powers under the Digital Services Act. If Meta fails to address the concerns, regulators could impose a fine of up to six percent of the company’s worldwide annual turnover.
The EU pressure follows a major settlement in the United States. Meta agreed to pay up to $16.7 billion to a coalition of US states and introduce new protections for teenagers.
The US agreement includes an automatic nighttime block and a limit of two hours of cumulative daily use across Meta’s apps. The measures represent some of the strongest restrictions Meta has accepted on teen usage.
Parents and child-safety experts have criticised social media companies for years over the potential effects of addictive platform features on young users. The latest US settlement has now increased pressure on Meta to introduce similar protections in other markets.
