EU Plans Crackdown on Addictive Social Media, Bot Features

Social media platforms face a fresh wave of European Union curbs, this time targeting addictive features and artificial intelligence chatbots.

Under a draft of the “Digital Fairness Act” seen by Bloomberg News, companies would be required to give adult users the ability to switch off features that encourage compulsive or excessive use of their services. The measures would also target AI systems that simulate personal relationships to encourage users to continue interacting with them.

The crackdown could affect some of the world’s biggest technology companies, including Meta Platforms Inc., Alphabet Inc.’s Google and ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok, whose services rely heavily on features designed to encourage prolonged engagement. Firms would risk fines of up to 6% of worldwide annual revenue for failing to comply with the rules, set to be presented Wednesday.

The European Commission has already taken measures to rebuke social media giants for deploying features that keep users glued to their apps. Both Meta and TikTok are being investigated over suspicions of addictive design under the bloc’s content moderation rulebook, the Digital Services Act.

The EU also plans to ask social networks and AI companies to make their platforms “safe by design” as part of a sweeping Kids Act that will also restrict social media use for young teens.

The commission declined to comment on the draft of the DFA.