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STRASBOURG - The European Commission has unveiled details of a planned ban on children's use of social media, alongside restrictions on other online applications such as chatbots and gaming sites, as part of efforts to improve children’s safety online, reported German Press Agency (dpa).
"Technology that was never created with their wellbeing in mind," European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday.
The proposal aims to oblige the platforms to demonstrate that they are designed to be safe for minors,’ she said, speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, where she first announced the plans on Wednesday.
Under the plans, children will have access to social media under parental supervision from age 13, but will only be able to create a personal account once they turn 15.
The proposal also includes new restrictions for providers of other online services that include social media features, like video sharing platforms, online video games, artificial intelligence (AI) companions and chatbots.
The safeguards "include a ban on addictive features and profiling-based recommender feeds dragging minors into 'rabbit holes' of harmful content," a press release said.
This "also includes prohibiting infinite scroll without stopping points, reward tricks, and push notifications during sleeping hours, as well as unsolicited contact from strangers".
AI chatbots designed to provide emotional support would also have to include safeguards to prevent children from developing an emotional dependency on the technology and to reduce the risk of harmful interactions with the chatbot. - BERNAMA
