Members of the European Parliament are concerned about the physical and mental health risks for young users of social media and smartphones. Parents should receive support to manage their children's digital activities, the MEPs state.
Furthermore, online use should be adapted to age. Therefore, the Parliament proposes a minimum age of sixteen to access social media, video platforms, and AI platforms. Teenagers aged thirteen to sixteen should only gain access with parental consent.
The European Parliament reiterates its previous call for a ban on deliberately making digital products addictive, such as endless scrolling and auto-playing videos. These measures are included in the report on better online protection for children, for which Dutch MEP Kim van Sparrentak was a co-negotiator.
The parliament wants the European Commission to address addictive elements in online games and design tricks that encourage children to spend more money online, such as fake currencies and loot boxes. Additionally, the parliament approved Van Sparrentak’s proposal for health advice regarding screen time.
“There is no longer any self-discipline against the manipulative tricks of tech companies. Sometimes we ourselves seem like screen zombies, and children are given a screen like a pacifier at the slightest provocation. And what children see online is often dangerous.”
Van Sparrentak said: “The online environment has turned into a swamp where manipulative algorithms and addictive design make children increasingly drawn into a world full of radicalization, violence, eating disorders, or misogyny. This has major consequences for their development, safety, and mental health.”
Van Sparrentak is critical of the call to introduce a minimum age of 13 for social media. “If we are going to verify ages, it must be done in the safest and most effective way. I fear an industry will arise around scanning children's faces or collecting their data. Such drastic measures must be based on solid scientific evidence, not political horse-trading with ages.
Moreover, parental consent can lead to unfair situations for children because some may be allowed on social media while others are not. This creates differences in protection between children with parents who have the time and energy to engage with this and those who do not. The responsibility is again fully placed on the parents instead of the tech companies.”
Next year the EU Commission will introduce a new law to better protect consumers online, the Digital Fairness Act (DFA). The recommendations from the EU politicians' report will be incorporated into this legislation.