Statement by President von der Leyen with Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the EU KIDS Act

Let me start with some striking figures. They are from this year's Eurobarometer in July. 92% of Europeans say we should strengthen the protection of children and young people online. Around 70% are concerned about cyberbullying, harassment and grooming. And there is another striking fact: Young people in Europe spend on average 4 to 6 hours a day on screens. For those who started using social media before the age of 10 it is even more. They spend around 7 to 8 hours online, every day. This is almost a full working day for an adult. Too many children are being exposed too early to an online world they are not ready to navigate. An environment where bullying can follow you home. Where every mistake can be recorded forever. And childhood and puberty is about making mistakes, learning from these mistakes and improving. Children can be targeted by scams and predators. Today, our children are engaging with some of the most sophisticated technology ever created. And it was not created with children's wellbeing and development in mind. Platforms are designed to capture attention. Algorithms learn from our behaviour. They exploit it to make us click, react and keep scrolling. And too often these addictive features are a business plan. The goal is to keep the children online and monetise their attention.

Today there is a robust body of evidence on the harm that social media does to a developing brain and personality. And too well parents see the effects of this. We all know the consequences: sleep deprivation, depression, anxiety, self-harm, addictive behaviour, and – tragically – suicide. Parents cannot compete or keep up against algorithms – and they should not have to.