Dutch Court Orders Meta to Offer Chronological Feeds as Default

In a landmark decision this week, a Dutch court has ruled that Meta must restructure how Facebook and Instagram present content to users in the Netherlands. The court found that Meta’s current design—where algorithmic, personalized feeds dominate and chronological options are hidden – breaches the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA).

Under the ruling, Meta has two weeks to implement a system in which users can directly and easily select a non-profiled, chronological feed – in effect opting out of algorithmic recommendation systems as a default. Preferences must persist across app sessions, meaning the platform cannot automatically revert users back to algorithmic feeds. The court emphasized that automatically resetting to a profiled feed qualifies as a prohibited “dark pattern” under DSA rules.

Meta has announced it will appeal the decision. The company contends that compliance should be handled at the EU level rather than by individual member state courts, warning that divergent rulings could undermine the digital single market. Meta already offers toggles for “Latest” feeds in both Instagram and Facebook, options introduced a few years ago amid regulatory pressure. However, those toggles typically function as manual overrides rather than default settings. Critics say they are only turned on by a minority, and that Meta’s UX design nudges users away from them.

Meta has pushed back on the notion that chronological feeds are practical. Instagram head Adam Mosseri has argued in past tests that usage and satisfaction decline over time when users are placed into algorithm-free views. “Every time we have [tested non-algorithm feeds] … everybody who’s in it uses Instagram less and less over time … their friends start using Instagram less … then it just gets worse and worse,” he said. If the ruling is upheld, Meta could face daily fines – up to 100,000 euros per day – capped at a total of 5 million euros for noncompliance.