EU lawmakers demand Brussels force Meta to ‘protect’ European children

A group of 52 European Parliament members, led by French lawmaker Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, has written to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen demanding Brussels force Meta to drop its ‘addictive design’ for European users, matching limits Meta agreed to in a $16.7 billion U.S. settlement last month. The EU opened its Digital Services Act probe into Meta in 2024 and told the company in July to change its design, which Meta disputed.

The lawmakers want the probe closed ‘without further delay’ with a non-compliance decision and penalties, and say any settlement must not fall short of what Meta granted American users. They also floated asking a court to temporarily block platform access if violations persist, arguing fines get written off while a shutdown ‘reaches the business model itself.’

Commission spokesman Thomas Regnier said officials remain committed and are pushing beyond ‘one or two inbuilt safeguards’ toward core design changes, with some form of social media ban for children expected to be announced later this month.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.