European Regulatory Initiatives
The European Union is preparing new measures aimed at limiting “addictive design” features used by major social media platforms, including TikTok and Instagram. Speaking at the European Summit on Artificial Intelligence and Children in Denmark, Ursula von der Leyen said regulators are focusing on features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and push notifications, which have increasingly come under scrutiny over their impact on children and teenagers. The planned measures form part of a broader European effort to strengthen protections for minors online.
Innovative Age Verification Technologies
Alongside the proposed restrictions, the EU is also developing a new age-verification application designed to strengthen access controls for younger users. Von der Leyen described the technology as meeting some of the world’s highest privacy standards and said it is expected to integrate into digital wallets across EU member states. The system is intended to help online platforms enforce age-related restrictions more consistently across the bloc.
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Global Implications And U.S. Scrutiny
The EU’s tougher regulatory approach mirrors similar discussions taking place internationally. Australia has already introduced broad social media restrictions for users under 16, while governments in Spain, France and the United Kingdom are also considering additional child safety measures. In the United States, technology companies, including Apple, Meta and Google, continue facing growing political and legal scrutiny over the design of digital platforms used by teenagers.
Legal Landscape And Future Prospects
Recent U.S. court rulings have drawn attention to the potential effects of features such as autoplay and infinite scrolling on teenage behaviour and mental health. At the same time, investigations under the EU’s Digital Services Act have examined age-verification practices across major social media platforms, including services operated by Meta. European regulators are expected to introduce additional legal proposals as early as this summer, potentially expanding oversight of platform design and child safety requirements across the region.
Outlook
The growing regulatory pressure reflects broader international efforts to balance digital innovation with stronger protections for younger users online. As governments and technology companies continue negotiating new rules around platform design, child safety is becoming an increasingly central issue in global tech regulation.
