The European Union is preparing sweeping new regulations targeting the addictive design features of major social media platforms, including TikTok, Meta and X, amid mounting evidence linking their use to serious mental health harm among children and teenagers.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the plans in a speech in Copenhagen, painting a stark picture of digital life for young people today.
“Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, suicide,” she said. “These risks are the result of business models that treat our children’s attention as a commodity.”
At the centre of the EU’s push is the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA), expected to be proposed later this year.
The legislation will specifically target what von der Leyen described as “addictive and harmful design practices” — features such as endless scrolling, autoplay and push notifications engineered to maximise time spent on platforms. The DFA will also place strict limits on the use of artificial intelligence within social media environments.
The new rules will build on the existing Digital Services Act (DSA), which already requires large platforms to tackle illegal and harmful content more aggressively. Under that framework, the European Commission has opened investigations into TikTok, X, and Meta’s Instagram and Facebook platforms.
Separately, proceedings have begun against X over the use of its Grok AI tool to generate sexual images of women and children.
Von der Leyen also raised the prospect of setting a minimum age for social media access across EU member states, with a Commission proposal potentially arriving as early as this summer following recommendations from an expert panel.
“The question is not whether young people should have access to social media,” she said. “The question is whether social media should have access to young people.”
The EU’s regulatory push is backed by a growing body of academic and clinical evidence.
A 2024 peer-reviewed systematic review published in Healthcare (MDPI), drawing on a decade of literature across five major databases, found significant challenges to children’s mental wellbeing posed by the rapid evolution of social media from a basic networking platform into a multifaceted tool.
The United States Public Health Service Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory added further weight to those concerns, warning that frequent social media use could be associated with changes in parts of the brain linked to emotions and learning. The advisory said it may also affect impulse control, social behaviour, emotional regulation, and sensitivity to social rewards and punishments.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has warned that media use and screen time are associated with increased risks for children and adolescents, including attention deficits, increased aggression, low self-esteem and depression.
The American Psychological Association has also highlighted the correlation between high social media use and poor mental health among adolescents.
Gender disparities are also pronounced. Research from Pew Research Center found that 34% of teenage girls said social media made them feel worse about their own lives, compared with 20% of boys. The study also found teenagers are more likely today than two years ago to describe their own social media use as excessive.
Spokespeople for TikTok, Meta and X did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the EU’s proposals.
The Commission said enforcement action against Meta is already under way because Instagram and Facebook are allegedly failing to enforce their stated minimum age requirement of 13.
Iran's ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva said talks between the United States and Iran had made "good progress", with both sides set to estab...
The visit also took on symbolic importance as the two leaders travelled to the liberated cities of Shusha and Fuzuli, areas Azerbaijan regained after ...
South Korea has announced it will accept North Korean prisoners of war captured by Ukrainian forces while fighting for Russia if they wish to relocate...
A Ukrainian strike has damaged a school building in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, according to local authorities cited...
Authorities in France are reporting that about 20 people have died over the weekend while swimming in unsupervised areas of rivers, lakes and coastal ...
Nine people, including eight children, were killed in a shooting at a middle school in Türkiye’s southeastern Kahramanmaraş province on Wednesday. Thirteen others were injured, sparking public outrage and raising concerns about a rare phenomenon in the country.
Heavy social media usage appears to contribute to a drop in wellbeing among young people, especially girls, in some English-speaking countries, the World Happiness Report found.
American rapper Ye, formerly Kanye West, has apologised for his past antisemitic remarks in a full-page Wall Street Journal ad, attributing his behaviour to an undiagnosed brain injury and bipolar disorder.
As climate change triggers record-breaking heatwaves, wildfires, and floods across the globe, experts are warning of a deepening and underreported crisis: the growing toll on mental health.
At least thirteen people have died and sixty-six have been injured following an explosion at Qatar's main liquefied natural gas (LNG) processing hub at Ras Laffan, authorities said on Sunday.
Cape Verde’s remarkable FIFA World Cup debut continued on Sunday (21 June) as the tournament newcomers held Uruguay to a 2-2 draw. Goalkeeper Vozinha was once again at the centre of the story, this time with his mother watching from the stands.
Tehran has agreed to let the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) recommence inspections of its nuclear programme, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has said. The U.S. and Iran have settled on a 60-day roadmap aimed at reaching a final deal, according to mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed on a landmark internet deal that will allow traffic to pass through Azerbaijani networks.It's the latest deal to highlight the ongoing peace process between the two countries.
Three students have been killed and at least seven injured after two of their peers opened fire in a high school in the Philippines, police said. A spokesperson for the police said the two suspects, aged 14 and 15, had been arrested and a police pistol confiscated. Bullying is a possible motive.
The United States has launched an investigation into Germany's pharmaceutical pricing policies to determine whether they unfairly disadvantage American companies and restrict U.S. commerce.
Australia has confirmed its first mainland case of H5N1 bird flu, ending its status as the only continent with a mainland free of the virus and prompting authorities to step up efforts to contain any spread.
The European Commission has announced €493 million in emergency support for the Ebola response, including funding for vaccines, treatment and health security measures.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has welcomed an $800 million contribution from the U.S., saying the funding will strengthen humanitarian operations as global hunger continues to rise.
A Canadian mother has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its chief executive Sam Altman, alleging that the company's ChatGPT chatbot encouraged her daughter's suicidal thoughts and failed to intervene before her death.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment