89% of Polish parents worry about their kids online — and Europe shares the fear.

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

89% of Polish parents worry about their kids online — and Europe shares the fear. CSO research shows serious risks. VLOPs insist everything’s under control. Whose story is true?
That is what we hoped to determine during today’s EP hearing.
🎥 “Protecting children online: Europe at a crossroads” 3-5 pm GMT+1 on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/live/8jaJUhGSBv4) or follow here

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

It is deeply concerning that VLOPs – whose lobbyists come to this house and public events in Brussels more often than in any other business sector – refused to engage with CSOs and us, MEPs today. - Kamila Gasiuk-Pihowicz

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

Let's be real: infinite scroll isn’t a "feature," it’s a digital slot machine designed for one more dopamine hit. Our kids are the product, and their mental health is the price. It’s time to regulate the dealer, not blame the user. – Irena Joveva

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

Significant momentum is building around Europe on protecting children online. Polling shows the public is clearly behind stronger enforcement. For example, 70% of Europeans want escalating measures against X if it does not address DSA breaches - Katarzyna Szymielewicz.

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

On Today’s hearing we will discuss how VLOPs:
- design continues to be addictive
- still benefit from letting toxic / harmful / age-inappropriate content on their platforms (it drives engagement)
- age restrictions and parental controls don’t really work?

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

TikTok says it embeds safety-by-design principles to "ensure a safe space for self-exploration". Yet @amnesty research shows how TikTok's engagement-chasing design can draw children into rabbit holes of depressive and suicidal content. – Lisa Dittmer

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

Stéphanie Mistre, whose daughter Marie fell into a spiral of depressive content and ended her life in 2021 told @amnesty (see image)

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

The DSA and the forthcoming DFA offer tools to tackle exploitative design across gaming, AI chatbots and digital platforms and to realize our aim of a safe online environment for children and adults alike. – Lisa Dittmer

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

Shifting the burden to "user choice" and parents is a proven failure. Our YouGov survey shows that most teens don't use time-management tools because they simply do not know they exist. For instance, 41% of teenagers surveyed didn't know YouTube had these tools – @michiel, @team.

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

As the first generation to have grown up inside these systems, we are calling for real protection from the mechanisms that harm us, and a voice in designing it. Leandra S. Voss, CTRl+Alt+Reclaim

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

YouTube claims: “Although this risk [of minors accessing age-inappropriate content] will never be eliminated, our measures result in a significantly lower residual risk profile”. Again, CSO’s research tells a different story. - Katarzyna Szymielewicz

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

YouTube boasts about removing harmful content even before it spreads. Meanwhile our testing shows just 32% of reported illegal content was removed, the lowest rate of all platforms - Nico Schmidt, @hateaid

[panoptykon@eupolicy.social]

In their Risk Assessment reports all large social media platforms firmly state that their products are not available to users younger than 13. Meanwhile 58% (1,4 mln) of Poles aged 7-12 have a social media account. What else do we know 👇