To control social media platforms, European countries intensify their control, and an increasing number of countries consider bans on underage users as the problems of addiction, harmful content, and data abuse become more significant. The suggestions represent the boldest attempt made to date by Europe towards big US-based technology entities and may trigger a new transatlantic battle.
The relocation comes after Australia made history by blocking access to platforms like Instagram and Facebook by Meta, Snap, X, TikTok Tok and YouTube, among others, to users under the age of 16 years. Sucha policy has since become widespread in Europe, with regulators claiming that social media services are becoming increasingly harmful to the mental health and well-being of children, and are dangerous through malignant and uninhibited content as well.
Such restrictions were recently proposed by Spain, which thrust the debate into the political limelight. When Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez complained that social media sites were also a failed state, he accused them of being in charge of nothing, even though they had a multi-billion-dollar worth in financial and political capacity. The statements were met with a vehement reaction on the part of X’s owner, Elon Musk, as they raised tensions between leaders of the European world and Silicon Valley managers.
Other countries, France, the UK, Portugal, Denmark, Greece, and the Netherlands, as well as the European Union, are exploring the same steps. The pressure is a response to the mounting anger of the European regulators regarding monopolistic activities, alongside major data gathering and dissemination of fake news and dangerous content online.
The recent uproar of Elon Musk about his AI chatbot Grok, which allegedly produced non-consensual and sexualized images, including those of minors, has only added to the demands for increased regulation. Although the firm has promised to take corrective actions, the scandal has increased political pressure in Europe.
Scholars caution that the measures involving bans based on age will be intricate and juridically difficult, with running records about whether these bans would result in any major decrease in screen time among children. However, analysts recommend that regulators have the power as a result of the significance of Europe as a significant revenue pool for Big Tech.
The suggested actions pose a high risk of getting a strong reaction from the United States, where former President Donald Trump once claimed that the measures could not be harsh against Europe. Europe seems to be keen on going with it to redefine the future of social media regulation as the battles continue.
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