“Technological platforms know how long a girl is depressed to do business.”

What is happening in the European Parliament To respond to the needs and concerns of families, who often find themselves alone in protecting their children in the digital space?

In the last legislator, several laws were implemented, such as the Artificial Intelligence for Digital Services Law, which focused for the first time on the responsibility of technological platforms, which own the content that is circulated on them. I think it’s particularly important because, until now, these companies have claimed to have created the network, but it was the users who shared certain content, so they were not responsible for what was circulated or consumed. In short, today we already have this law and from the European Parliament we ask the Commission to implement it. In fact, there are several investigative actions open against Snapchat, YouTube, Meta or TikTok because they are believed to have not done enough to effectively protect minors.

I think it is something very important and it was launched after a call to action by families, teachers, doctors, paediatricians… who made public authorities see that the digital space is unregulated, which it cannot be. Therefore, some steps are being taken, but we must go further to advance aspects that have not been addressed.

What aspects are you specifically referring to?

Well, addictive designs, for example, what is “infinite scrolling”, or the colors used, or the blue “double check” on WhatsApp or being told “being typed”… What are the consequences of all this? Well, let’s spend more time on the platforms and let them do business. The longer it takes, the more money they make. There are some very sophisticated engineers in Silicon Valley, and in other parts of the planet, who are developing gadgets so we can spend as many hours hooked as possible. Another key element, algorithmic transparency. You have to ask yourself why, depending on what we see on the screen, when we scroll or swipe through the reels or TikToks, they are promoting one content or another. Well, because they’re using our data based on our age, our gender, our tastes… And we’re seeing that, especially in the case of minors between the ages of 13 and 17, they’re being shown very harmful content, which is causing depression and self-harm… They’re spirals of content that are so harmful that they start looking at a beauty product for example, and they end up harming themselves. These are called rabbit holes. It is also very important that the space on these platforms is not sold to companies that want to do business because it is proven, and it has been said by former employees of these companies, who know the age of the users, who know how long a girl has been suffering from depression… to do business.

How do they know?

Because the girl deletes the personal photo after three hours.

and? What does that mean?

Well, it didn’t get enough likes. Then she feels weak, and she doesn’t love it enough, and that’s when they insert an ad for skin care, a beauty product… and from there to many other worse things. We have to put an end to all this.

We must also address the “loot boxes” in video games that cause many children to become addicted to the game, or also influencer marketing because there are many of these characters that have too much influence on our minors and do not promote healthy behaviors. We must address all of this in more laws.

Does society need digital literacy?

In fact, it is necessary to increase digital literacy so that adults realize the danger that their children face with these devices, websites or video games and limit their use. That is why there are associations that have come together and are working to ensure that social pressure, which is very important in families and schools, delays the age of delivery of the first smartphone as much as possible, up to 16 years.

I talk to a lot of parents who say, “Yes, I don’t want to give my son a smartphone, but he asks me in tears because he’s the only one in his class who doesn’t have a smartphone.” If he doesn’t have that, they bully him, and he feels marginalized…” We have to be strong, on the one hand, so that we do not give in to social pressures and also so that families understand the risks they are exposed to.

On the other hand, it is necessary to have an effective age verification system, because if children under 13 are not allowed to access social networks – which is already prohibited now, in quotes -, if the child creates an account, the system asks him if he is 13 and if yes, he can access it. We will put an end to this situation effectively. Parents should be aware of how this mechanism works because children are currently bypassing parental controls by being much better than their parents at handling technology. Therefore, literacy is essential, as is the amount of time we as adults spend in front of our children, because we spend so many hours with devices.

For those parents who worry about what they see coming their way with their young children, and for those who actually feel despair when their children spend long hours in front of the screen, how can you explain why it takes so long to decide on such necessary regulation?

We are talking about regulating a digital space that was not regulated. I understand the frustration of families who want a quick response, but it is a new phenomenon, 20 years ago social media arrived in our homes and since 2012 it has done so through mobile devices. In fact, it is not often time to open doors to the field, which in this case are digital. I compare it to the organization of the oceans or the air. The thing is that we are talking about regulating the digital space from scratch, and above all, we are doing it in the face of the tech giants. It’s not that it’s David vs. Goliath… but a little.

The main thing is that measures will be taken at the European level, because now we are facing these technological giants in the European Union, which unite 27 countries, 450 million users who give a lot of money to these platforms, and we will be able to really gain power. We see that, they are blackmailing us and the actions we take are hurting them.

Blackmail in what sense?

Well, we’ve seen how President Trump said that if the European digital laws continue to apply, he will impose tariffs on us, and that he will veto the entry of European officials who are enforcing this law… I call this blackmail and it was basically preceded by a lawsuit from the CEOs of these companies asking him to ask the European Union not to enforce these laws.

The situation is complicated…

I want to be optimistic because we don’t give up, we have to keep going. But the drama is global because it started in the United States with a lawsuit filed by thousands of families against five large companies, which they took to the Senate. We were able to see how these same owners would not take action because their business model depended on continuing as it was before.

We have to work to make families feel safe because so many wonder what they are doing wrong, seeing how Instagram robs their children of their childhood or adolescence, or minors and young people who decide to commit suicide. I’ve launched a “Share to Protect” website to collect all kinds of testimonials and they tell me real dramatic events every day. Suicide is the final stage of the disease, and it is very terrible. It is the leading cause of death among our minors in Europe, and it is a collective drama that we have to confront. But there are many intermediate stages of eating disorders and self-harm…which destroy families because they prevent young people from studying and leave them with very serious consequences on their lives.

I believe there is a global and family awakening. It is important to send this message that public authorities and legislators are listening and taking up the challenge that society is asking us to implement further measures. But what is true is that it must be a joint effort between the educational world, families, and public forces.

When is this new law?

It is expected next year. This is what the European Commission told us. We are asking the European Parliament to accelerate this, and we are already seeing how many countries, such as Spain, France or Denmark, are promoting this discussion on digital minimum age and age verification systems. A European Commission pilot project is now being worked on, in which Spain is participating, and this means that in the coming months there will be a tool that countries can use to start putting a limit on some websites and some platforms in order to start putting restrictions on the content that minors see.