In a draft report dated 15 May, MEP Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Danish) proposes to look into the protection of minors online, by means of new legislation “thought out horizontally” that would encompass a whole range of practices identified as problematic.
Among these, the MEP cites the addictive design of social networks and other online platforms, misleading interfaces (‘dark patterns’), advertising targeted at minors, practices deemed toxic in video games such as ‘loot boxes’ (random chests), paid virtual currencies and ‘pay-to-win’ systems, which allow players to progress faster in exchange for real money.
She is calling for the “harmonised” introduction of an “age verification mechanism” at European level, and for the Commission to propose legislation that “makes safety by design mandatory”, requiring all platforms to include guarantees for the protection of minors.
She also wants the Commission to update the blacklist of misleading marketing techniques to include common methods used by online platforms, such as pre-ticked options, blurred or emotional messages designed to influence the buyer and default settings that are difficult to change.
Most of these grievances have already been raised in the resolution drafted by the members of the Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) and adopted by Parliament in December 2023, in which the elected representatives expressed concern about the lack of regulation surrounding addictive designs of digital services and ‘dark patterns’.
The forthcoming ‘Digital Fairness Act’, to be presented by the Commission in 2026, must tackle these legislative loopholes.
See the draft report: https://aeur.eu/f/gxu (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)