EU targets addictive platform design as MEPs push for safer social media

The shift from voluntary moderation to hard legislative mandates signals a fundamental change in how the EU treats platform architecture. By targeting specific features like 'autopilot' algorithms, regulators are moving beyond content removal and toward forcing technical redesigns. For the streaming and social ecosystem, this creates a high-stakes compliance environment where features that maximize engagement may soon trigger heavy fines under the DSA. Platforms will likely need to pivot toward high-friction safety designs, such as mandatory screen-time breaks and verifiable age-gating. Watch for the July 13 presentation of recommendations to President von der Leyen, which will outline the legislative blueprint for the Digital Fairness Act.

The push for stricter regulation follows recent Eurobarometer data indicating a sharp rise in youth screen time and associated mental health risks. Per a June 2026 report from the European Commission, 14% of European adolescents now spend more than 10 hours daily on digital platforms. This data has fueled momentum for the Digital Fairness Act, which the Commission intends to use to fill gaps left by the Digital Services Act (DSA) specifically regarding 'addictive looping.' The proposed law aims to provide a clear ban on design mechanisms that exploit human neurology to maintain attention, paralleling recent moves in the UK and Greece to implement age-based social media restrictions.

In tandem with legislative debates, technical enforcement is already ramping up. Per Agence Europe in June 2026, the Commission’s preliminary probe into TikTok found that its screentime management tools were too easy to dismiss, rendering them ineffective at mitigating design-induced risks. This focus on the 'efficacy' rather than the 'existence' of tools is a significant shift in regulatory rigor. Furthermore, the review of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), scheduled for late 2026, is expected to expand content standards to video-sharing platforms and influencers, potentially introducing a European-wide digital minimum age for social media access.

Industry groups like DIGITALEUROPE have expressed concern over potential market fragmentation, according to an April 2026 position paper. They have urged the Commission to maintain the 'country-of-origin' principle while ensuring that new mandates under the Digital Fairness Act do not conflict with existing DSA obligations. As the EU’s Special Panel on child safety online concludes its work, the focus turns to how platforms will re-engineer core products to satisfy the 'safe by design' principle now being championed by European leadership.