The European Parliament proposed this Thursday, October 16, that the minimum age for using social networks, video platforms and artificial intelligence without parental consent be 16 years old, to protect minors from pedophilia and addiction.
In a deliberation by the EP Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection, MEPs express concern about the “inability of large digital platforms to adequately protect minors” from pedophilia and health problems associated with addiction to social media.
The authors of the diploma consider that the minimum age to use social networks, video sharing platforms (YouTube) and artificial intelligence tools without parental or guardian consent should be 16 years old.
The minimum age to access any online content should continue to be 13 years old.
European parliamentarians want there to be rules to control specific advertising ads (which are displayed based on the information that algorithms collect from each internet user) and ‘marketing’ produced and disseminated by ‘influencers’ (people who use social networks and a high number of followers to promote products or services and profit from these advertising actions).
In the deliberation, approved with 35 votes in favor, five against and nine abstentions, MEPs criticize the “inability of large digital platforms to adequately protect minors”not only sexual crimes, which have proliferated on social media, but also practices that encourage dependence on this type of platform.
The Consumer Protection Commission proposes to create rules to hold those responsible for managing these platforms responsible if there are “serious and persistent breaches of provisions to protect minors, particularly with regard to age verification”.
However, MEPs would like European Union (EU) Member States and the European Commission to go further and ban any digital interactions driven by algorithm recommendations.
In other words, these European parliamentarians consider that advertising based on the collection of information on users’ consumption habits should be prohibited.
When it comes to video games, members of this committee want incentives to play addictively to end.
In the field of artificial intelligence, even though the European Commission has come forward with the first legislation to regulate it, the level of development of this technology presents more and more challenges, which is why European parliamentarians want firmer rules against “manipulative and deceptive” chatbots.