The uncontrolled use of mobile phones and social networks by minors is surely the issue that worries families the most today. The Administration is late, as almost always, but we must congratulate ourselves for being part of a Europe where, despite all its slow bureaucracy and partisan divisions, there is at least a willingness to try to regulate internet traffic. Thus, the European Commission will present this week a draft regulation to prohibit access to social networks for those under 15 years old. The goal is to establish a mandatory age verification that users will have difficulty bypassing, as well as to force platforms to remove addictive designs, change their algorithms, and make parental control even easier.
We are facing a proposal that must be approved by the European Parliament and the Council, so it still has a long and tortuous legislative path before becoming a reality. But it fulfills a request from ten European countries, including Spain, which have been trying to promote similar control for some time.
It is very difficult to put fences around the field and we will have to see how to avoid the tricks that minors and some programmers will use to bypass the new controls, but this regulation is increasingly necessary. Raising awareness and educating is better than prohibiting, but it is clear that many minors are exposed to misuse of the internet by platforms designed to maximize their time spent.
However, the debate is open and allows for many interpretations. Some will argue that many users of these ages also socialize thanks to the games and conversations they have on social networks and that a general ban is a very strong measure. In the end, the family environment is key to making a decision one way or another. The role of the Administration, in this case the European Commission, is to mark the boundaries of the playing field against the current absolute chaos.
What is not tolerable is inaction in the face of a reality that negatively affects so many minors in their formative stage. On this issue, the European Union has done what it must.
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