A European code of conduct for influencers: the EU Parliament’s call

A call for algorithmic transparency and a ‘youth mode’ that disables targeted advertising. An EU code of conduct for influencers. A ban on features that create addiction in order to protect minors from practices such as sharenting and to impose ethical standards for AI-powered companions. The day after the publication of the report compiled by the Special Panel of Experts on children’s online safety, commissioned by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, MEPs have in turn spoken out on the issue, calling for better application and enforcement of EU legislation. The report, approved today, Tuesday 14 July, by the Committee on Culture and Education – with 17 votes in favour, three against and four abstentions – states that the online environment must be governed by the principles of privacy by design, security by default, age-appropriate design and algorithmic transparency. The report will be put to a vote by the full Parliament during the plenary session on 14–17 September.

Highlighting the impact that persuasive, addictive design features have on well-being of children and young people, MEPs are calling for a ban on the most harmful practices that encourage addiction and are urging platforms to incorporate safeguards based on risk assessment into their recommendation systems. They also call on the Commission to introduce personal liability in the event of serious and persistent breaches of child protection provisions. “Responsibility for the safety of children and young people must lie, first and foremost, with those who design and operate digital platforms,” commented rapporteur Sandro Ruotolo (S&D, IT). “The example cited by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is apt: we do not ask children to design seatbelts, nor do we ask parents to install airbags. Manufacturers have a duty to ensure the safety of their products. The same principle must apply to digital platforms,” continued the MEP. “As the European Parliament’s rapporteur, I fully endorse this approach. Platforms must remove features that encourage addiction, manipulation and exposure to harmful content or contacts. Safety must be built into services right from the design stage.”

The text also highlights the need for greater transparency regarding social media’s algorithmic systems: the lack of transparency surrounding algorithms and content moderation procedures prevents young users from understanding why certain content is recommended, hidden or removed, thereby deliberately undermining their ability to navigate online content. MEPs therefore support the introduction of a ‘youth mode’ that disables targeted advertising and limits, for minors, the design features that encourage addiction. Moreover, according to Eurostat, in 2024 an average of 97 per cent of young Europeans used the internet daily, with total screen time ranging from an average of nine hours a day for the 11–14 age group to six hours a day for children aged 8 to 10. Furthermore, over 80 per cent of young people use social media every day, and the time spent online by children and young people aged between 9 and 16 averages three hours a day.

Recognising the ‘increasingly significant role in shaping the perceptions, aspirations and social attitudes of children and young people’ played by influencers, MEPs are calling on the Commission and EU countries to draw up a European code of conduct for this type of activity and to provide a harmonised definition of influencer marketing. Children must be protected from exploitative commercial practices, such as kidfluencing, that is, the use of children as influencers, and sharenting, the practice of parents documenting their children’s lives online.

According to MEPs, the Commission must ensure consistency across all the EU’s main legal instruments, including the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the General Data Protection Regulation, the Digital Services Regulation, the Artificial Intelligence Regulation and the Digital Fairness Act. MEPs have also put forward a series of proposals, including: