EU Targets Addictive Social Media Designs to Protect Children

The European Union is aiming to introduce new regulations under the Digital Fairness Act to protect children from addictive social media designs by platforms like TikTok, Meta, and X. The rules will tackle harmful practices and set age limits for social media access, while investigations are ongoing.

The European Union is set to propose new regulations to shield children from addictive social media designs, President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Tuesday. The move targets platforms such as TikTok, Meta, and X, which are accused of using business models that exploit children's attention.

Von der Leyen emphasized that these digital age risks, including sleep deprivation and cyberbullying, are proliferating, necessitating a strong regulatory response. The upcoming Digital Fairness Act aims to curb harmful design practices and impose strict limits on AI usage in social media.

Current investigations into platforms like TikTok and Meta expose failures in enforcing age restrictions and harmful content practices. The EU Commission is looking to strengthen existing laws under the Digital Services Act to better address these challenges.