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(BRUSSELS) – MEPs raised the alarm Wednesday over the addictive design features of certain digital services, with a call for ethical design by default and a ban on addictive techniques like endless scrolling or automatic play.
A draft report adopted by the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee warns of the addictive nature of certain digital services, such as online games, social media, streaming services, and online marketplaces, which exploit peoples vulnerabilities to capture their attention and monetise on their data.
While social media can affect society in positive ways (e.g. increasing efficiency, accessibility, connectedness), its addictive design can cause physical, psychological and material harm (loss of concentration and cognitive ability, burnout, stress, depression, limited physical activity). MEPs are especially worried about the impact digital addiction has on children and adolescents, who are more vulnerable to these symptoms, and they call for more research and regulation in this area.
MEPs believe that recent rules such as the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Artificial Intelligence Act are not enough to regulate the issue of addictive design. They urge the Commission to close existing legal gaps and present new legislation on the topic . If this is not addressed, they say, Parliament should use its right of legislative initiative.
In addition, MEPs say harmful addictive techniques not covered by the directive on Unfair Commercial Practice (e.g. infinite scroll, default auto play, constant push and read receipt notifications) should be examined and prohibited by the Commission.
MEPs want companies to be obliged to develop ethical and fair digital products and services by design without dark patterns, misleading, and addictive design. The Commission should put forward a digital right not to be disturbed and create a list of good design practices such as: think before you share; turning off notifications by default; chronological feeds; greyscale mode; warnings or automatic locks after a pre-set time use (in particular for minors); total screen time summaries. Education guidelines and awareness-raising campaigns should promote self-control strategies to help individuals develop safer online behaviours and healthy habits.
Further information, European Parliament
