“Technology platforms know how long girls are down to do business.”

What happens in the European Parliament How can we address the needs and concerns of families who are often left alone to protect their children in the digital space?

The last Congress enacted several laws, such as the Digital Services Artificial Intelligence Act, which focused for the first time on the responsibilities of technology platforms as owners of the content they circulate. I think this is particularly important. That’s because these companies have previously claimed that they set up the networks, but that users share certain content and are not responsible for what gets distributed or consumed. So today, we have already passed this law and we are asking the European Parliament to implement it to the European Commission. In fact, several investigative proceedings have been initiated against Snapchat, YouTube, Meta, and TikTok, as it is believed that they do not take sufficient measures to effectively protect minors.

I think this is very important and was launched in response to a call to action from families, educators, doctors, pediatricians and others who have made public authorities aware that the digital space is unregulated, but that can’t be the case. Therefore, although some steps have been taken, further progress is needed in areas that are not covered.

What specific aspects does it refer to?

Well, the addictive design, for example, what is “infinite scrolling”, the colors used, the blue “double check” in WhatsApp or being told “typing”… What are the consequences of all this? Well, let’s spend more time on the platform and let it do its business. And the longer the time, the more money you can make. There are very sophisticated engineers in Silicon Valley and other parts of the planet who are developing tools to keep us occupied as much of our time as possible. Another important factor is algorithmic transparency. Depending on what you see on your screen, you have to ask yourself why your content is being promoted as you scroll or scroll through Reels or TikTok. Because they’re using our data based on our age, our gender, our preferences… And we find that especially for minors between the ages of 13 and 17, they’re seeing very harmful content that causes depression and self-harm… They’re a spiral of very harmful content that makes them start looking at beauty products, for example, and ultimately leads to self-harm. They are called rabbit holes. It is also very important that space on these platforms is not sold to companies that want to do business with us. Because it’s proven and former employees of these companies say so. To do business, everyone knows how old the user is, how depressed the girl is.

How do they know?

Because the girl deletes the selfie after 3 hours.

and? What does that mean?

Well, I didn’t get enough likes. And then she gets vulnerable and feels like she doesn’t like it enough, and then ads for skin care and beauty products are inserted… and a lot of other bad things happen from there. We must put an end to all this.

We also need to address “loot boxes” in video games, which are responsible for many children becoming addicted to games, and influencer marketing, as many characters have a large influence on minors and do not promote healthy behavior. We need to address all of this with more legislation.

Is digital literacy necessary for society?

In fact, increased digital literacy is needed for adults to be aware of the dangers that children face with these devices, websites, and video games, and to limit their use. That’s why some organizations are working together to push back the age of handing over the first smartphone by up to 16 years as much as possible, with social pressures so important for families and schools.

When I talk to many parents, they say, “Yes, I don’t want my son to have a smartphone, but he cries and asks because he’s the only one in his class without a smartphone.” And if he doesn’t have it, they bully him and he feels left out…’ We, on the one hand, have to be strong not to succumb to social pressure and for families to understand the risks they face.

On the other hand, an effective age verification system is essential. Because if a child under the age of 13 is not allowed to access a social network (I put it in quotation marks, but now it is already prohibited), then when the child creates an account, the system will ask him if he is 13 years old, and if he answers “yes”, he will be able to access it. We intend to effectively end this situation. Parents need to be aware of how this mechanism works, as children are now much better at handling technology than their parents and thus bypassing parental controls. Therefore, as well as literacy, the amount of time adults spend in the presence of children is essential as we adults spend too much time on our devices.

For parents worried about what will happen to their young children, and already despairing of their children spending too much time in front of screens, how can we explain why it is taking so long to decide on such necessary regulations?

We’re talking about regulating a digital space that was previously unregulated. While I can understand the frustration of families who want instant response, this is a new phenomenon, with social networks landing in homes 20 years ago and social networks becoming more prevalent through mobile devices since 2012. In reality, it doesn’t take long to open doors in this field, in this case digital. I liken it to ocean and atmospheric regulation. The problem is that we are talking about regulating the digital space from scratch, and we are doing it above all in the face of the tech giants. It’s not like it’s David vs. Goliath…but it’s a bit.

What is important is that measures are taken at European level. Because now we’re confronting these tech giants in the EU, uniting 27 countries, 450 million users who are giving a lot of money to these platforms, so we’re going to have real leverage. And we are seeing it, they are threatening us and the steps we are taking are hurting them.

What do you mean by blackmail?

Now, we’ve seen how President Trump has said that if the European digital law continues to apply, he will impose tariffs on our country, veto the entry of European officials who enforce this law…I call it a threat, but it’s basically been preceded by lawsuits from the CEOs of these companies asking the European Union not to apply this law.

The situation is complicated…

I’m trying to be optimistic because we’re not giving up and we have to keep going. But the drama is global because it began in the United States, with a lawsuit brought before the U.S. Senate by thousands of families against five major corporations. Because their business model is based on business as usual, it appears that the owners themselves are unwilling to take action.

We must work to ensure that families feel safe. Because many people are wondering what they are doing wrong. Because we’re seeing how Instagram is robbing children of their childhood and adolescence, and we’re seeing minors and young people decide to take their own lives. I set up a “Share to Protect” website to collect all kinds of testimonies. They teach me real drama every day. Suicide is the final stage of the disease and is truly terrifying. This is the leading cause of death for minors in Europe and is a collective drama that we must face. However, eating disorders and self-harm have many intermediary stages that disrupt young people’s studies and have very serious consequences for their lives, destroying families.

I think there is an awakening happening in the world and in families. It is important that public authorities and legislators send the message that they listen to and challenge the calls that society has for us to do more. However, it is also true that this must be a joint action by the educational community, families, and public authorities.

And when is this new law?

It is expected to happen next year. This is what the European Commission told us. We are calling on the European Parliament to accelerate this debate, and we are already seeing how some countries, such as Spain, France and Denmark, are driving this debate forward on digital minimum age and age verification systems. Work is currently underway on a European Commission pilot project in which Spain also participates. That means tools will be considered in the coming months that will allow countries to begin taking down some websites and some platforms to limit the content that minors see.