Companies should guarantee that the use of social media and the digital environment is safe, particularly for children and young people, MEPs say.
To protect minors from the impact of social media, MEPs want EU legislation better enforced and implemented. In a report adopted on Tuesday by the Committee on Culture and Education with 17 votes to three and four abstentions, they say that the online environment must be governed by the principles of privacy-by-design and safety-by-default, age-appropriate design, and algorithmic transparency.
Online platforms are responsible for protecting minors
Pointing to the impact of addictive and persuasive design features on wellbeing of children and young people, MEPs want a ban on the most harmful addictive practices and urge platforms to include risk-based safeguards for their recommender systems. They are encouraging the Commission to introduce personal liability in case of serious and persistent non-compliance with the provisions concerning the protection of minors.
The text also highlights the need for increased transparency around social media algorithmic systems, as opaque algorithms and content moderation hampers the ability of young users to understand why certain content is recommended, suppressed or removed, intentionally undermining their capacity to navigate online content.
