Addictive Algorithms and the Digital Fairness Act: A New Chapter in EU Public Health Policy?

Picture a typical teenager waking up. Before even getting out of bed, they’ve already scrolled through TikTok, checked Instagram, and responded to Snapchat notifications. Each swipe delivers content fine-tuned by algorithms designed to maximize attention and engagement. Autoplay keeps the feed going. Notifications prompt more interaction. Autoplay keeps content flowing. Sleep, focus, and mental health are subtly undermined. The mental health consequences of these design features – autoplay, infinite scroll, push notifications – are becoming hard to ignore. In December 2023, the European Parliament issued a resolution calling out these harms and proposing something bold: a digital “right not to be disturbed.” Soon after, the European Commission launched a review of EU consumer law: the Digital Fairness Fitness Check. The conclusion? Existing rules are outdated and unfit for today’s attention-hacking digital environments. In May 2025, the Commission announced plans for a new Digital Fairness Act aimed at updating consumer protections for the algorithmic age. A formal legislative proposal is expected in 2026. The timing couldn’t be more urgent.