Calls for social-media age restrictions are growing worldwide, but a former Meta employee and whistleblower argues that governments should focus on the platforms’ addictive design features rather than simply keeping children off them.
The former Facebook employee, who spent 15 years at the company before becoming a whistleblower, said the technology industry has deliberately built features designed to keep users engaged for as long as possible, often at the expense of their wellbeing.
According to the whistleblower, features such as infinite scrolling, autoplay and algorithm-driven feeds were developed as part of a business model centred on maximising engagement and, ultimately, profit.
The concerns have increasingly shifted towards children and teenagers as governments grapple with the effects of social media on young people.
In July, an independent panel submitted its final recommendations to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on how the European Union can improve online safety for children. A legislative proposal is expected to follow.
While some European countries are considering broad age restrictions, the panel has backed a different approach: targeting the design features that make social-media platforms potentially harmful and addictive.
The argument is that companies should be required to demonstrate that their products are safe for teenage users before gaining access to that market, similar to the safety obligations placed on manufacturers of products such as cars and food.
Why blanket age bans may fall short
Supporters of age restrictions argue that limiting children’s access can reduce their exposure to harmful content and online abuse. However, critics say banning underage accounts does not change the platforms themselves.
Australia provides an early example.
The country introduced the world’s first nationwide social-media account ban for users under 16 in December. But a compliance report released by the eSafety Commissioner in March identified significant enforcement weaknesses and found no reduction in reports of cyberbullying or image-based abuse.
By April, more than half of Australian children aged 12 to 15 were still reported to have active social-media accounts.
Australia has subsequently also turned attention towards the design of social-media services, particularly features considered harmful to young users.
Other countries, including Canada, Spain, Brazil and Germany, are similarly examining ways to make technology companies more responsible for the safety of their products.
Put the burden on tech companies
The safety-by-design argument is gaining support among advocacy groups and members of the public.
More than 170 organisations have signed a petition supporting the approach, while charities in the United Kingdom have issued recommendations on possible safety standards.
A poll conducted across five European countries also found strong public backing, with about three-quarters of respondents supporting a system where platforms would have to demonstrate that they are safe before children can access them.
Under such a model, companies would have to address potentially harmful features instead of leaving governments to police children’s ages.
The debate is also moving into regulatory and legal territory.
In February, the European Commission warned TikTok that it could face fines of up to six per cent of its turnover if it failed to address concerns surrounding addictive design.
The Commission later issued a preliminary finding that Meta had failed to adequately assess the risks associated with features including infinite scrolling and mechanisms designed to capture users’ attention, potentially putting the company in breach of the Digital Services Act.
In the United States, four states have also pursued legal action seeking $1.4 trillion in penalties from Meta over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed to encourage addiction among young users.
Giving users alternatives
Another proposed reform is interoperability, which would make it easier for people to move from one social-media service to another without losing their existing connections.
Supporters argue that if users can take their social networks with them, they would have greater freedom to leave platforms they consider unsafe or poorly governed.
That could also encourage competition by giving newer and safer platforms a better opportunity to attract users.
But regulation alone may not be enough.
The world’s largest technology companies have enormous financial resources, meaning relatively small penalties could simply become another business expense. Effective regulation therefore requires enforcement measures strong enough to create a genuine deterrent.
Europe faces a major test
The European Union now has an opportunity to establish a stronger model for protecting children online.
Von der Leyen, who had previously supported a broad age ban despite warnings from experts, has indicated a growing preference for safety-by-design principles.
The independent panel’s recommendations still include age restrictions, but present them as temporary measures while platforms are redesigned to remove addictive and harmful features.
The approach would also place the responsibility for proving that platforms are safe on technology companies rather than regulators.
The EU already has a foundation for such action through its Digital Services Act, which has been used in proceedings involving TikTok and other major platforms, including Snapchat, X/Grok and Meta.
The next step, according to advocates of the approach, should be to strengthen safety-by-design requirements through the forthcoming Digital Fairness Act rather than relying mainly on age restrictions.
Change the product, not just the age limit
Removing features such as infinite scrolling, engagement-driven defaults and persistent push notifications could fundamentally change how young people interact with social media.
An age ban, by comparison, does not alter the underlying product. It simply delays access to it.
The broader argument is that governments should treat social-media platforms like other products placed on the market: companies should be responsible for demonstrating that their products are safe.
The EU already expects most products sold within the bloc to meet safety requirements.
For children and teenagers who increasingly live part of their lives online, the argument is straightforward: social media should face the same expectation.
The challenge now is whether governments will impose rules that genuinely change how these platforms are built — rather than rules that simply determine who is allowed to open an account.