Protect our kids, not social media giants’ profits
To the President of the European Commission
Petition
Digital products from social media to games and AI chatbots are deliberately designed to keep children and young people hooked, influence their thinking and manipulate their behaviour. This is damaging their health, development and relationships.
Politicians are finally discussing solutions, and some could take effect by the end of the year. But social media companies are profit-hungry and practiced at piling on pressure. They want to protect their profits - even if it costs kids’ lives.
Von der Leyen could buckle under pressure from social media companies, and put all the responsibility on parents and children, instead of the designers of the addictive apps.
Our children, families and communities deserve better. We are calling on President von der Leyen to:
- Put safety at the heart of design. Make child safety certification a pre-requisite for all tech used by kids.
- Protect under 13s from manipulation. Enforce a legal ban on personalised services for under 13s.
- Mandate age-tiered access and support guardrails for all under 18s that evolve as they grow.
- Ban services that do not comply. Use EU market access powers to restrict services that expose children to risk and harm.
Don’t bow down to Big Tech - our children’s health is worth more than their profits.
Why is this important?
For social media bosses it’s simple. The longer our children stare at their phone screens, the more money they rake in. Even when it harms children.
Infinite scroll. Autoplay. Algorithms that learn what a young person’s insecurities are, then push dangerous content to keep them hooked. [1] Their billions in profits depend on keeping our children addicted.
Governments are finally listening to the warnings from parents, teachers and those who built the apps. Courts are ruling against platforms like Meta and YouTube. Countries are proposing bans and age limits. [2]
We need strong rules that force social media companies to protect children, not exploit them. Von der Leyen is expected to propose the first European law on children and social media before the end of the year. [3] But tech giants know this will shrink their profits, and they’re piling on the pressure.
If she backs down, social media companies will get a free pass to keep using addictive traps that hook our kids and threaten their mental health. If a massive wave of us raises an outcry, we can make her stand firm and put our children’s health and safety first.
Tell President von der Leyen: don’t bow down to Big Tech. Our children’s health is worth more than their profits.
References:
[1] https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/10/tiktok-steering-children-towards-depressive-and-suicidal-content ; https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/POL40/0360/2025/en/
[2] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c747x7gz249o ; https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/12/23/which-european-countries-are-considering-banning-social-media-for-children
[3] https://www.politico.eu/article/inside-ursula-von-der-leyens-push-for-eu-social-media-ban/