Italy to tackle social media addiction

The proposal would require platforms ⁠to stop profiling users by default and provide greater transparency over ​how algorithms determine the content shown to users

Italian senators on Wednesday presented a draft law to tackle social media addiction that seeks to increase the responsibility ​of online platforms for the way content is distributed to ‌users.

It comes amid growing scrutiny across Europe of digital platforms and follows a U.S. ruling last month that found Meta and Alphabet’s Google negligent for ​designing social media platforms deemed harmful to young people.

The proposal, ​backed by the opposition Democratic Party (PD), would require platforms ⁠to stop profiling users by default and provide greater transparency over ​how algorithms determine the content shown to users.

Every time we open ​a social network, an algorithm decides what we see – not by chance, but to keep us glued to the screen for as long as possible, PD ​Senator Antonio Nicita said in a statement.

The bill seeks to ​hold platforms accountable for the design of the systems they use to distribute ‌content. Algorithmic ⁠design is not a technical detail. It is a corporate choice with consequences, the draft law states.

There was no immediate comment on the bill from members of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s conservative coalition, ​but Nicita, a former ​member of ⁠the Italian communications watchdog Agcom, was hopeful it could have cross-party support.

This is a bipartisan issue, and ​at the moment everyone agrees on banning certain ​practices for ⁠minors, he said, adding that the real issue that needed addressing was the design of algorithms, rather than social media content.

In a ⁠separate proposal, ​the co-ruling League party has proposed ​a social media ban for children under 14, following similar moves adopted or under discussion in ​several other countries.