Social media ban: will the EU Kids Act work?
The European Commission plans to drastically restrict children's use of social media with the EU Kids Act. The legislation sets a minimum age of 15 for creating a social media account and bans addictive features. The initiative aims to prevent the serious health consequences, including depression and sleep deprivation, experienced by young people as a result of social media use. Europe's press takes stock.
Willingness to enforce is essential
The EU must ensure that companies comply with the rules, the Irish Examiner argues:
“Age limits, parental consent, and 'safe design' will mean little if companies regard penalties as another manageable cost of doing business. ... The EU is right to recognise that children's online safety cannot simply be outsourced to families. Parents must set and police boundaries. Governments must make those boundaries clear. But neither can succeed if companies profiting from children's attention are allowed to decide how seriously the rules apply to them. The success of the Kids Act will be measured not by the restrictions it creates, but by its willingness to enforce them.”
Taking too long
The EU's decision-making processes are too slow, criticises Corriere della Sera:
“In practical terms, this legislation affects children who are currently nine or at most ten years old. ... People will say that these long delays are due to the democratic process. ... Will the majority and the opposition in Brussels manage to agree, at the very least, on how to protect our children's mental health? In the meantime, yesterday's proposal effectively blocks the various parliamentary procedures that have been initiated in almost all European countries to pass national laws on this issue which might have come into force much sooner. People in Silicon Valley are breathing a sigh of relief – now they've gained another two years.”
Public sphere under threat
Eldiario.es calls on the media, universities and NGOs to go beyond individual regulations and take a stand for a better world:
“One of the most worrying factors is the breakdown of the public sphere, which is becoming increasingly polarised and divided in a context where digital debate can only deteriorate further if things go on like this. ... It's not enough to wait for governments to pass regulations or for the global tech companies to self-regulate, as they claim they will do. The media, universities and all other civil society institutions have a duty to speak out, propose alternatives and oppose a business model that is showing very little imagination when it comes to building a better world.”