EU social media ban to test fragile truce with Donald Trump

{"text":[[{"start":5.8,"text":"An EU plan to restrict children’s access to social media will test the bloc’s strategy for enforcing digital rules without provoking Big Tech — or Donald Trump."}],[{"start":18.24,"text":"The US president’s tariff threats have weighed on the European Commission’s pursuit of American companies over the past 18 months, exposing internal divisions over how aggressively to push its new rule book."}],[{"start":29.359,"text":"“We’re not stupid. We avoid unnecessary provocations in tech,” said one EU official."}],[{"start":34.936,"text":"Commission president Ursula von der Leyen is set to propose a new age limit across digital platforms: no social media for under-13s, phased access for older teenagers and possible restrictions on gaming platforms with addictive features."}],[{"start":48.855,"text":"The approach is more modest than similar bans adopted or pursued in countries including the UK, Australia and Indonesia, where the age limit is 16, as there are internal divisions within the bloc over where to draw the line."}],[{"start":62.2,"text":"The measures would hit US tech groups including Meta, at a time when Brussels is already probing the parent company’s addictive design features on Instagram and Facebook. Those cases could lead to heavy fines and force changes to the algorithms that shape what children see online."}],[{"start":77.8,"text":"France and Greece have long pushed the Commission to introduce broad social media restrictions for children. But doubts persist in the Nordics and central and eastern Europe over whether governments are best placed to impose such measures — and whether they can be enforced."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":91.38,"text":"Frustrated by the slow pace in Brussels, France moved to ban access for under-15s. The measure was later struck down by the country’s top court."}],[{"start":102.08,"text":"Concerns over addictive design, weak age checks and the effect of social media on children’s mental health now extend well beyond Europe. That gives the EU a public-interest case that is harder to dismiss as another attack on Silicon Valley, even if US platforms would bear much of the burden."}],[{"start":116.166,"text":"Social media companies say they already have protections in place for children, such as Instagram’s Teen Accounts, which include screen time limits and extra privacy settings to restrict contact from strangers."}],[{"start":128.58,"text":"The EU’s case, however, will be tested by a Trump administration that has opposed restrictions on free speech and business grounds."}],[{"start":135.771,"text":"Trump has accused the EU of singling out US companies and threatened tariffs in response to enforcement actions. In July, after the Commission fined Google a combined €890mn for breaching the bloc’s digital rules, he said the EU would pay “a very big price”."}],[{"start":151.2,"text":"Anthony Whelan, the bloc’s top competition civil servant, told the FT that disagreement was “disappointing” as US and European regulators often share similar concerns. But he rejected suggestions that geopolitical pressure was causing Brussels to hold back from opening cases against American companies."}],[{"start":173.84,"text":"The Google penalties offered another sign of how Brussels was calibrating its tech enforcement under Trump. The combined fine, which followed two separate investigations, came in below the psychologically significant €1bn mark and was short of the largest penalties imposed under the bloc’s Digital Markets Act."}],[{"start":192.111,"text":"The decision came as US officials were stepping up attacks on the EU’s digital rules, casting them as a threat to freedom of expression and instructing diplomats to lobby against them. The Commission also fined Chinese online marketplace AliExpress €550mn in the same week, a move that helped blunt claims that Brussels was singling out US tech."}],[{"start":214.96,"text":"Bernd Meyring, global head of antitrust at law firm Linklaters, said the Commission had recently prioritised cases against Chinese companies “to demonstrate that the digital regulations are not anti-US”, while taking a more cautious approach to timing and fines."}],[{"start":230.16,"text":"“More recently, communications and geopolitical impact have played a key role,” Meyring said."}],[{"start":236.04,"text":"Von der Leyen is also facing pressure from EU lawmakers not to dilute enforcement of the bloc’s tech laws. The Digital Markets Act is designed to open powerful “online gatekeepers” to rivals, while the Digital Services Act forces internet companies to do more to police illegal content."}],[{"start":252.926,"text":"“If Europe wants to give its own businesses a fair chance to compete, it needs to keep up and strengthen its DSA and DMA enforcement,” said Alexandra Geese, a Green lawmaker."}],[{"start":263.324,"text":"Commenting on the Google fine, Geese said it was “encouraging that the EU didn’t back down entirely under US pressure”. But she added: “It’s far less encouraging that the penalty looks more like a symbolic gesture than a serious deterrent.”"}],[{"start":277.4,"text":"Other European lawmakers as well as civil society groups have also demanded more action, while competition commissioner Teresa Ribera, a Spanish socialist, has also insisted Brussels must enforce its laws regardless of pressure from Washington."}],[{"start":292.8,"text":"The politicisation of tech enforcement has also complicated the calculation for US companies. Some have welcomed Trump’s attacks on Brussels. Apple last year demanded that the Commission scrap the Digital Markets Act altogether."}],[{"start":305.392,"text":"“Some US tech companies have felt emboldened by Trump,” said one lawyer advising tech companies in their dealings with the Commission."}],[{"start":313,"text":"“But there is a lot of unpredictability when it comes to dealing with Trump. Relying on his help is not always the smartest business strategy.”"}],[{"start":325.28,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1789026480_4063.mp3"}