US tech giants pressuring EU to keep us addicted to social media

A recent report by Corporate Europe Observatory reveals that US tech giants, including Meta, Google, TikTok, and Snap, are lobbying the European Commission to prevent the implementation of regulations aimed at curbing addictive social media designs. The report highlights the extensive lobbying efforts by these companies, which have spent over €150 million to influence the Digital Fairness Act. The European Commission is considering measures to address the negative mental health impacts associated with excessive social media use, particularly among youth. However, the tech companies argue that new rules would undermine EU competitiveness and claim that existing regulations are sufficient. The report warns that weakening these regulations could deepen the social media addiction crisis and increase the economic and political power of US tech giants.