The European Union is preparing new regulations aimed at curbing social media business models in a bid to better protect children and young people, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said.
Speaking in Copenhagen on Tuesday, von der Leyen said the harms linked to children’s exposure to social media were not accidental, but driven by platform designs that treat young users’ attention as a commercial commodity.
She said the EU is specifically targeting major platforms including TikTok, Meta Platforms (Facebook and Instagram), and X.
According to her, the measures will address addictive design features such as endless scrolling, autoplay videos, push notifications, and other engagement tools that keep young users online for extended periods.
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Von der Leyen also criticised Meta’s platforms, saying Instagram and Facebook are not effectively enforcing minimum age requirements for users.
The European Commission has also opened investigations into X over concerns about its artificial intelligence tool “Grok”, which has allegedly been used to generate inappropriate sexual content involving women and children.
She added that further regulations expected later this year will target harmful digital design practices, including attention-capturing features, complex subscription terms, and deceptive sign-up systems.
Von der Leyen also signalled support for stricter age restrictions on social media use among teenagers, stressing that the focus should be on limiting platform access to minors.
“The question is not whether young people should have access to social media, the question is whether social media should have access to young people,” she said.
