Von der Leyen says EU to unveil measures by year‑end to curb dependence on online platforms

Brussels – The European Union is working on measures against digital platforms’ practices that create addiction in children, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen today (12 May) at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, Denmark. “Later this year, we will target addictive and harmful design practices with the Digital Fairness Act – attention capture, complex contracts, subscription traps, etcetera. In Europe, safety must be there from the start, not added as an afterthought,” she added.

Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, and suicide. These are the risks of the digital world highlighted by von der Leyen, which, according to the President, are “a result of business models that treat our children’s attention as a commodity.” The EU’s aim, however, is to “build a digital world where our children can grow up free and secure, protected by the values that Europe stands for.”

 “We are witnessing the lightning speed at which technology is advancing – and how it penetrates every corner of childhood and adolescence,” von der Leyen noted, who argued that, in this context, “discussions about a minimum age for social media can no longer be ignored.” The President then noted that the Commission is working on a legislative proposal to ban social media for children. In this regard, a special committee of experts on child safety online has already been set up, which will provide technical support to the Commission to present a legislative proposal by the summer. “Almost all EU Member States call for an assessment on the need” for such a measure, von der Leyen pointed out. “ At the moment, Denmark wants to introduce one, nine other Member States too. The European Parliament has come to the same conclusion. The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, the question is whether social media should have access to young people,” the President of the EU executive said. The ban, however, will be added to a series of initiatives promoted by the Commission, such as an age-verification app, aimed not only at protecting minors online but also at restricting access to inappropriate content. 

On this issue, the President did not absolve tech companies of responsibility for the content on their platforms, arguing that, “in Europe, whoever develops a product is responsible for its safety.” For example, “must make their vehicles safe. We do not expect children to design their own seatbelts. We do not expect parents to fit airbags at home. The same must apply to social media​,” she added.