EU lawmakers call for child youth mode on social media

EU lawmakers demanded on Tuesday that social media platforms create a youth mode for children in which addictive features and targeted advertising are turned off.

The call comes as pressure grows in the European Union for digital platforms to be designed safely before children use them. An expert report on Monday also recommended a safety-by-design approach, in which platforms protect minors from possible harms from apps.

EU lawmaker Sandro Ruotolo said responsibility for the safety of children and adolescents should first lie with the companies and people who design and manage digital platforms.

The features raising concern in the EU include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

The European Parliament's culture committee also called for an EU code of conduct to regulate influencers and for a common definition of influencer marketing. It said young users need greater transparency about social media systems, saying opaque algorithms and content moderation make it harder for them to understand why content is recommended, suppressed or removed.

The expert report recommended restricting social media for children under 13, with access allowed only under adult supervision. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday that she supports limits on children under 13 using digital platforms such as social media.

Von der Leyen said a legal proposal will come after the summer break. After it is presented, negotiators from the European Parliament and EU capitals will work on a final law.

The EU has increased pressure on social media platforms in recent months. The European Commission, acting as the bloc's digital watchdog, told Facebook and Instagram last week to dismantle their addictive features, after issuing a similar warning to TikTok in February. The Commission says new rules are being prepared to push platforms to change addictive designs.