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Commission names infinite scroll and autoplay in preliminary DSA findings against Meta
European Commission findings of July 10, 2026 say Facebook and Instagram may breach the DSA through infinite scroll, autoplay and personalised recommendations. That adds interface features to ranking logic as a legal question for the largest platforms.
The Engineer · Build desk
Timeline, 2026. February 6: Commission findings involving TikTok on similar design issues. July 10: preliminary findings that Facebook and Instagram may breach the DSA. October 1: DSA information updated; platforms over 45 million EU users can offer a chronological feed option.
| Date | Event | Claim |
|---|---|---|
| February 6, 2026 | Findings involving TikTok on similar design issues | 5 |
| July 10, 2026 | Preliminary findings: Facebook and Instagram may breach the DSA | 2 |
| October 1, 2026 | DSA info updated: feed choice for platforms over 45M EU users | 1 |
What happened
- A Commission DSA page last updated October 1, 2026 says platforms above 45 million EU users can offer non-personalised recommender options, so users can pick algorithmic or chronological feeds.
- The Commission had already made findings involving TikTok on February 6, 2026, on similar design issues.
- The dev.to post says its verified material does not show that every business must add a chronological feed, drop infinite scroll or deploy a screen-time tool.
Why it matters
- contradiction The post says feed design is "no longer only a product and engagement decision", but its own evidence is a preliminary finding and an option worded as something platforms can offer.
- exposure A very large service that pairs personalised recommendations with autoplay or continuous scroll sits close to the pattern the Commission has now cited against two platforms.
- constraint Preliminary findings name the features that drew attention. They do not define a compliant version, so they cannot serve as a design spec.
Everything here comes from one dev.to post that summarises Commission material, and the post ends with a pitch from the consultancy Scalevise [10]. Its account of the feed option is worded as a capability. According to the post, the Commission's page says platforms above 45 million EU users "can provide non-personalised recommender options" [1]. The post does not say whether the option is required or which ordering is the default. We think the default is the line to check first, because in a feed it decides what most users see.
The Meta findings target a different layer. Of the three features the Commission named, two are interface behaviours: infinite scroll and autoplay [3]. A chronological feed can still scroll without end and start the next video by itself. Only the third, highly personalised recommendations, is touched by an ordering toggle [13]. A team that ships the toggle and keeps the other two has addressed at most one of the three.
The enforcement record is short. The TikTok findings came on February 6, 2026 [5], and the Meta findings 154 days later [12]. The post calls the Meta findings "not a final determination" in its enforcement section [4] and repeats the caveat at the close, where it says they should not be treated as a final ruling [9].
The 45 million threshold limits who is in scope. The post says the material it verified does not show that every business running a website, app or online service has to add a chronological feed, give up infinite scrolling or install a particular screen-time tool [6]. It adds that the material prescribes no universal checklist and supports no cost estimates [7].
For smaller teams the post offers four questions. Does the service use personalised recommendations, autoplay or continuous scrolling? Can users tell when recommendations determine what they see? Is there a user-control option where ranking is central? Are engagement features built around a clear user benefit [8]? The post says these are not a substitute for legal advice [9].
What to watch
- Whether the Commission turns the Meta findings into a final decision, and what it says about infinite scroll and autoplay.
- Whether the Commission's own DSA page words the chronological option as a requirement or as something platforms can provide.
- Whether other very large platforms receive findings on similar design issues after TikTok on February 6 and Meta on July 10.
Clarity's read
What the record supports and how the coverage leans. The claims behind it follow.
Reality
- Evidence45
- Adoption
- Insufficient
- Hype gap+10
- Incentives55
- Confidence50
Claim ledger
Ranked by verification strength, evidence, and original report placement.
- [1]
The Commission's DSA information, last updated October 1, 2026, says platforms exceeding 45 million EU users can provide non-personalised recommender options, so a user can choose between algorithmic recommendations and a chronological feed.
ReportedSupportedSource: dev.to post summarising the Commission's DSA information pageView cited source - [2]
On July 10, 2026, the Commission announced preliminary findings that Meta's Facebook and Instagram may be in breach of the DSA over addictive design features.
- [3]
The features identified in the Meta findings included infinite scroll, autoplay and highly personalised recommendations.
- [4]
The Meta findings are preliminary, "not a final determination".
- [5]
The Commission had made earlier findings involving TikTok on February 6, 2026 concerning similar design issues.
- [6]
The post says its verified material does not establish that every business website, app or online service must add a chronological feed, remove infinite scrolling or deploy a specific screen-time tool.
- [7]
The post says the supplied material does not prescribe a universal DSA compliance checklist, and does not support cost estimates or a mandatory set of moderation tools.
- [8]
The post lists four product questions: whether the service uses personalised recommendations, autoplay or continuous scrolling; whether users can understand when recommendations determine what they see; whether there is a credible user-control option where feed ranking is central; and whether engagement features are designed around a clear user benefit.
- [9]
The post says its questions are not a substitute for legal advice and that the Commission's preliminary findings against Meta should not be treated as a final ruling.
- [10]
The post ends with a line from Scalevise offering to help assess recommendation flows.
- [11]
The post says feed design is "no longer only a product and engagement decision" and is increasingly connected to user choice, wellbeing and regulatory scrutiny at the DSA's largest scale.
- [12]
The Meta findings came 154 days after the TikTok findings.
- [13]
Of the three features the Commission named, two (infinite scroll, autoplay) are interface behaviours that persist under chronological ordering, and one (personalised recommendations) is addressed by an ordering option.
Sources
1 independent publisher whose own reporting we read for this story.
- dev.toEU DSA Enforcement Brings Feed Choice and Addictive Design Into Sharper Focus
1 article · October 13, 2026
Topics and entities
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Topics
- Addictive DesignFollow
- Recommender and Ranking SystemsFollow
- Digital Services ActFollow