EU Targets TikTok, Meta Over Teen 'Addictive Designs'

The head of the European Commission called for increased protection for children against "addictive designs" on social media platforms such as TikTok, Meta, and X. Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU's executive Commission, raised the possibility of an age limit for teens accessing these platforms.

Credit: UNSPLASH

Von der Leyen stated, "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 listed concerns including sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, cyberbullying, grooming, exploitation, and suicide, noting, "Risks are multiplying fast."

The Commission will target "addictive and harmful design practices" in its proposed Digital Fairness Act (DFA), expected towards the end of the year. An expert panel is preparing advice on how to proceed.

"Without pre-empting the panel's findings, I believe we must consider a social media delay," von der Leyen said. Depending on results, a legal proposal could come this summer. The DFA would ban manipulative practices, addictive features, and misleading influencer marketing on digital platforms.

Von der Leyen attributed digital world risks to "business models that treat our children's attention as a commodity." She called for strict limits on artificial intelligence use in social media.

"We are taking action against TikTok and its addictive design, endless scrolling, autoplay and push notifications," von der Leyen stated, referring to ongoing cases. She added, "The same applies to Meta, because we believe Instagram and Facebook are failing to enforce their own minimum age of 13."

The new regulation will strengthen and expand the EU's Digital Services Act (DSA), which requires large platforms to better tackle illegal and harmful content. The Commission is already investigating TikTok, X, and Meta Platforms' Instagram and Facebook under DSA rules.

X is under investigation for potential risks from deploying Grok in the EU, including the spread of manipulated sexualised images. Europe's top court sided with Italy's telecoms watchdog against Meta, stating Meta should compensate publishers for using snippets of their articles.

TikTok made a last-ditch attempt to revoke its designation as a "gatekeeper" under EU rules, a status that requires it to meet tougher standards.

Europe is hardening its stance against social media, with nations including Norway, France, Turkey, and Britain debating or rolling out legislation to ban or limit teenage social media use. They are looking to Australia's early moves for inspiration.

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• The EU Commission aims to increase protection for children against social media's "addictive designs."

• Ursula von der Leyen, president of the EU's executive Commission, raised the possibility of an age limit for teens on platforms like TikTok, Meta, and X.

• The proposed Digital Fairness Act (DFA) would ban manipulative practices, addictive features, and misleading influencer marketing.

Source: REUTERS

Meta Employees Protest Mouse-Tracking Software Ahead of Layoffs

Meta employees distributed flyers at multiple US offices, protesting the company’s recent installation of mouse-tracking software on their computers. This action precedes planned staff reductions.

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The flyers, which appeared in meeting rooms, on vending machines, and atop toilet paper dispensers, encouraged staff to sign an online petition against the technology.

They questioned, "Don't want to work at the Employee Data Extraction Factory?"

This protest is the most visible sign of a burgeoning labour movement within the social media giant. Some staff are channelling frustration over the company’s AI-focused workforce reshape into organising efforts.

For months, employees have voiced anger on internal platforms regarding deep layoffs and the mouse-tracking software. Many view the software as assisting in designing their own bot replacements.

Meta spokesperson Andy Stone addressed the concerns, referring to a prior company statement on the mouse-tracking technology.

The statement said, "If we're building agents to help people complete everyday tasks using computers, our models need real examples of how people actually use them — things like mouse movements, clicking buttons, and navigating dropdown menus."

Both the pamphlets and the petition reference the US National Labor Relations Act, asserting that "workers are legally protected when they choose to organise for the improvement of working conditions."

Separately, a group of Meta employees in the UK has begun organising a unionisation drive. They are working with United Tech and Allied Workers (UTAW), a branch of the Communication Workers Union.

These employees established a recruitment website, Leanin.uk. This URL references former Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg’s best-selling book.

A UTAW representative confirmed the UK campaign to Reuters.

Payne stated, "Meta’s workers are paying the price for management’s reckless and expensive bets. While executives chase speculative AI strategies, staff are facing devastating job cuts, draconian surveillance, and the cruel reality of being forced to train the inefficient systems being positioned to replace them."

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• Meta employees protested new mouse-tracking software at US offices using flyers and an online petition.

• The protest occurs ahead of planned staff reductions at the company.

• Meta stated the software gathers data on human computer interaction to train AI models.

Source: REUTERS

Fast-Fashion Rivals Shein, Temu in UK Copyright Showdown

Online fashion retailer Shein has accused rival Temu of "industrial scale" copyright infringement, while Temu contends Shein is using legal action to suppress competition. A trial began at London's High Court.

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This case is part of a worldwide legal dispute between the rapidly expanding companies. It holds potential implications for platform practises, supplier relations, and intellectual property enforcement across global e-commerce.

Shein alleges Temu utilised thousands of its photographs to promote copies of Shein's own-brand apparel on its platform. Shein's lawyer, Benet Brandreth, stated this was an attempt to "steal a march on an existing participant in the market" and gain an unfair advantage, building on Shein's allegation that Temu sought to "piggy-back" on a more established competitor.

Temu denies these allegations. Mr. Brandreth informed the court that Temu abandoned its defence against Shein's copyright claims concerning nearly 2,300 photographs.

PDD Holdings-owned Temu has filed a counter-claim, seeking damages after removing thousands of product listings due to a Shein injunction. Temu also alleges Shein violated competition law by requiring fast-fashion suppliers to sign exclusive agreements. This portion of the case is scheduled for trial next year.

Temu's lawyers assert that Shein's lawsuit is not a genuine effort to prevent copyright infringement. Instead, they argue it aims to secure a competitive advantage for Shein. This two-week London trial represents the latest legal confrontation between the companies, which have also filed lawsuits against each other in the U.S.

Shein and Temu have rapidly expanded into international markets, offering low-cost clothing, accessories, and gadgets. However, the previous year's removal of a U.S. customs exemption on low-value e-commerce parcels, with the European Union to follow in July, could impact their growth.

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• Shein accuses Temu of "industrial scale" copyright infringement in a trial at London's High Court.

• Temu counter-claims, alleging Shein uses litigation to stifle competition and broke competition law.

• Shein's lawyer, Benet Brandreth, stated Temu dropped its defence for nearly 2,300 photos.

Source: REUTERS