SUMMARY This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article. BRUSSELS, Belgium – The EU charged Meta Platforms’ Instagram and Facebook on Friday, July 10, with breaching its tech rules, with regulators targeting features they say are designed to keep users hooked and demanding changes to autoplay and infinite scroll or risk fines. The European Commission’s preliminary findings follow a two-year investigation under the European Union’s landmark Digital Services Act, which requires large online platforms to do more to tackle illegal and harmful content. Social media companies face growing scrutiny around the world over concerns that their platforms are contributing to a mental health crisis among children, prompting some governments to impose or consider bans for underage users. The Commission, the EU’s tech regulator, said Meta had failed to adequately assess the addictive risks posed by highly personalized recommendations, autoplay and infinite scroll, which continuously feed users new content and encourage prolonged engagement. It said reels and stories on Facebook and Instagram could contribute to excessive or compulsive use. The regulator criticized Meta’s measures to mitigate these risks, saying time management tools can be easily dismissed, while parental controls require significant time, effort and technical knowledge to use effectively. Meta should disable features such as autoplay and infinite scroll by default, introduce effective screen-time breaks and make its recommendation system less focused on driving engagement, the Commission said. Meta disagrees with the charges “We disagree with these preliminary findings, which don’t accurately take into account the significant steps we’ve taken to protect teens,” Meta spokesperson Ben Walters said. “Since this investigation began, we rolled out Teen Accounts that automatically protect teens and put parents in control — allowing them to block access to Instagram at night and cap daily screen time at