There is no work without attention. In the last twenty years, large digital platforms They have increasingly colonized our free time. Its purpose is to keep us addicted screens as long as possible to remove data about our behavior that then serves to sell us advertising. This logic is based on addictive products such as: social networks. “The best minds of my generation are thinking about how to get people to click on ads. And that sucks,” said Jeff Hammerbacher, an employee at the time. Facebook.
Now European Union (EU) It aims to put an end to designing features that “exploit people’s vulnerabilities to capture their attention and monetize their data.” This Tuesday, European Parliament launched a warning about the “addictive nature” of networks, but also broadcast platforms, video game online or e-commercedemanded that new rules be adopted to prevent these services from harming children.
In one report, lawmakers ask: European Commission Propose legislation to improve consumers and their protection privacyespecially minors. That’s why they recommend Forbidden “harmful” design features (such as infinite scrolling of content)scroll, English), continuous real-time notifications or autoplay of videos or games. The document was approved by an overwhelming majority of 545 votes in favour, 12 against and 61 abstentions.
“Not today is the self-discipline that can overcome the tricks of big tech, driven by an army of designers and psychologists to keep you glued to the screen,” said the report’s rapporteur, Dutch Green Kim Van Sparrentak. “If we don’t act now, this will impact the mental health and brain development of future generations.”
Ethical design requirement
The European Parliament condemned the lack of transparency of major platforms. Internet It makes it difficult to enforce rules in interfaces designed to capture and evade our attention. That’s why these companies, because Aim with Amazonshould be forced to make their services ethical “by default” and therefore dark patterns (dark patternsmanipulation techniques that appeal to the user’s unconscious, making “decisions that have the potential to harm their own protection” data personal”.
Thus, the majority of members of the European Parliament expressed concern about the negative effects that social networks and other digital services may have on the Internet. sanity and physical characteristics of consumers, especially among adolescents. While scholars dispute this and continue to study the social impact of the Internet, lawmakers have proposed a list of good practices (popularized by Model), such as disabling all notifications, automatic screen locking, chronological recommendation systems instead of algorithmic recommendation systems. tiktok) or make the mobile phone grayscale to reduce consumption time.
The report calls on the Commission to propose “the right not to be disturbed in the digital environment”. The EU’s executive arm is exploring the need to update various laws on consumer protection to add clauses guaranteeing protection in the digital environment, which could come in 2024. However, if it chooses not to propose a new law, the European Parliament can exercise its right to advance its own legislative initiative.
social debate
The European Parliament’s decision comes at a time of intense public debate in Spain about restricting mobile phones in classrooms. Thousands of families across the country are organizing to demand a law that delays cell phone access for minors because they fear screen abuse will harm their children’s health.