The EU will introduce new regulations targeting addictive and harmful design on platforms; German minister says TikTok should be handed over to Europeans, following the U.S. model

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the EU is developing new rules to protect children within its borders from the addictive effects of social media platforms such as TikTok, Meta, and X.

Speaking at the European AI and Children Summit in Copenhagen, von der Leyen stated, "Sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviors, cyberbullying, sexual exploitation, abuse, suicide—these risks are rapidly increasing with the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. These risks are a reality of the digital world. And I must make this clear: they are not accidental. They are the consequences of business models that treat our children’s attention as a commodity."

Von der Leyen noted that the upcoming Digital Fairness Act (DFA), to be proposed by the European Commission later this year, will focus specifically on "addictive and harmful design practices." She explained that the bill will impose strict limitations on the use of artificial intelligence within social media, while also advocating for a minimum age restriction on social media access.

"The issue isn't whether young people should use social media—it's whether social media should have access to young people," she said. She added that the new regulations would strengthen and expand the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large platforms to take more measures against illegal and harmful content. Under these provisions, the European Commission has already launched investigations into TikTok, X, and Instagram and Facebook under Meta Platforms.

Von der Leyen remarked, "Europe has the capacity to act. We set the rules—not tech companies. We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design—endless scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and so on. Meta faces similar issues because we believe Instagram and Facebook have failed to effectively enforce their 13-year-old minimum age limit."

She further stated, "We have filed legal action against X, accusing it of using Grok to create and disseminate content depicting child sexual abuse. We are investigating platforms that lead children into harmful content—such as videos promoting eating disorders or self-harm. All of this is possible because we have established a powerful tool—the Digital Services Act."

Von der Leyen continued, "We have also enacted the Digital Markets Act to prevent platforms from abusing market dominance. We have concluded cases against Apple and Meta, and are currently investigating Google. We have made clear that despite all resistance, we will continue moving forward. Rules are set, laws are in effect, and anyone violating them will be held accountable."

In Berlin, Germany’s State Secretary for Culture and Media, Wolfram Weimer, said on Tuesday that TikTok’s European operations should follow the U.S. model and be "handed over to Europeans."

ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, had previously transferred control of the platform’s U.S. operations to a U.S.-controlled joint venture to respond to threats from the U.S. government to ban its operations in America.

Before meeting with EU officials in Brussels, Weimer told reporters, "I firmly believe Europe should follow the American example and must discuss the company’s ownership structure." He added, "This means we should hand TikTok’s European operations over to Europeans."

Weimer pointed out, "TikTok collects data from European youth on an unimaginable scale. The destinations of these data flows remain unclear to us." He emphasized, "We are talking about the most private personal data of European youth."

TikTok has attempted to alleviate EU concerns about data security by storing European users’ information within Europe and restricting data access. The platform is also currently undergoing investigation by the EU under its digital content regulations.

In February, the EU informed TikTok that it must change its 'addictive design' or face massive fines. Additionally, TikTok is facing another investigation over allegations of interfering in Romania’s presidential election before the end of 2024.

Notably, on Tuesday, TikTok launched its final effort at the EU’s highest court to overturn the EU’s designation of it as a “gatekeeper” under EU regulations. This designation requires TikTok to meet stricter standards, aimed at curbing the power of major tech companies.

This case marks the first challenge brought before the European Court against the EU’s “gatekeeper” designation under the Digital Markets Act. Its outcome could either strengthen or weaken the EU’s efforts to curb big tech monopolies, ensure fair competition, and provide users with greater choice.

TikTok was designated a “gatekeeper” by the EU’s Digital Markets Act in September 2023, joining other companies with over 45 million monthly active users. Other designated gatekeepers include Google (Alphabet), Meta Platforms, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Booking.

In 2024, a lower court rejected TikTok’s challenge, ruling that it met the criteria for the “gatekeeper” designation under the Digital Markets Act. The legislation imposes stringent requirements aimed at limiting the power of large tech firms, with penalties reaching up to 10% of a company’s annual revenue for violations.

Source: rfi

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1864992029195264/

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