The European Commission has proposed new rules to ban manipulative and addictive design features on social media platforms to protect children [1].
These regulations target the psychological mechanisms used by tech giants to keep young users engaged. By restricting features that exploit childhood vulnerabilities, the EU aims to reduce risks to mental health and overall safety [1, 3].
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the initiative was announced May 12, 2024 [1], during the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Copenhagen, Denmark [1, 2]. The forthcoming legislation is called the Digital Fairness Act [4].
EU officials said platforms exploit children through the use of endless scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and targeted advertising [1, 3]. These features are designed to maximize time spent on a platform, often at the expense of the user's well-being [3].
The proposal specifically names several major tech companies. While some reports focus on TikTok and Meta, including Facebook and Instagram, other records indicate the rules also target X [2, 3].
Under the Digital Fairness Act, platforms would be required to implement stronger child-safety safeguards [1, 2]. This move marks a shift from voluntary industry guidelines to mandatory legal requirements for interface design [3].
The Commission said the goal is to ensure that the digital environment is safe by design, rather than relying on parental controls or user settings to mitigate harm [1].
“The European Commission has proposed new rules to ban manipulative and addictive design features.”
This proposal signals a transition in EU regulatory strategy, moving from data privacy and content moderation toward 'design regulation.' By targeting the actual architecture of user interfaces—such as the infinite scroll—the EU is attempting to legally define 'addictive design' as a consumer protection violation, potentially forcing a global redesign of how social media apps function for minors.
