Social media giants are loosening their grip on content moderation just as Europe tightens its own.
As YouTube tells moderators to favour “freedom of expression” over harm prevention, France and the UK are pushing back with unprecedented regulatory measures.
President Emmanuel Macron wants to ban social media for children under 15. Britain contemplates two-hour daily limits and 10pm curfews for young users.
When Platforms Walk Away From Responsibility
The gap couldn’t be wider. While European lawmakers scramble to protect vulnerable users, tech companies are retreating from content oversight.
YouTube’s policy shift allows videos to contain harmful content across half their duration, up from a quarter. Meta scrapped fact-checking programmes whilst permitting comments like “Trans people are mentally ill” and “Immigrants are grubby, filthy pieces of shit.”
Even X softened its violent speech policy from "zero tolerance" to "we may remove."
The platforms propose they’re championing free speech. Critics see something else entirely: a calculated retreat that prioritises profits over public safety.
Britain Takes a Stand on Social Media Limits
The UK government isn’t waiting for platforms to self-regulate.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle highlighted the “addictive nature of some of the apps and smartphones” whilst exploring time restrictions as part of broader online safety strategy.
The proposed measures would constitute major intervention. Two-hour caps per app and 10pm curfews aim to curb excessive screen time amongst children. These proposals build on existing parental controls from Apple and Google, though uptake remains frustratingly low due to complexity.
Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly took her own life after viewing harmful content online, told the BBC that “every day the government has delayed bringing in tougher online safety laws, we’ve seen more young lives lost and damaged because of weak regulation and inaction by big tech.”
France Leads Europe’s Digital Revolution
France has gone further than most.
Macron said late Tuesday that France "can't wait" any longer in banning social media for children under 15, following fatal stabbings at French schools.
The French approach tackles multiple fronts. The government has pushed to bar smartphones from schools and limit screen use in nurseries. It has forced major porn platforms to verify users’ ages, prompting Pornhub’s owner to stop serving France entirely rather than comply.
Digital minister Clara Chappaz leads a campaign pressuring other European countries to follow France’s example. Denmark’s Digital Minister Caroline Stage Olsen has made clear her country will push for an EU-wide ban on social media for children under 15.
The Technology Balance: Why Regulation Matters Now
Platform deregulation couldn’t arrive at a worse time for child safety.
Almost half of children under 10 have social media accounts in Denmark despite legal protections. Meta’s fact-checking programme previously removed about 277 million pieces of harmful content annually.
Tech platforms argue that age verification threatens privacy.
Andy Yen from Proton told POLITICO that "we're really not debating age verification for children, we're debating whether it makes sense to do age verification for everyone."
But the stakes keep rising. England’s Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza urged decisive action, telling the BBC that “children should not be expected to police the online world themselves.”
Opposition Voices: The Industry Pushback
Critics argue European regulations could backfire spectacularly.
When French porn platforms stopped serving local users, VPN registrations increased by 1,000 percent within half an hour. Overall VPN demand surged by 334 percent the day after restrictions began.
Tech companies claim parents should shoulder responsibility for monitoring children’s online activity.
Sir Nick Clegg from Meta noted that parents often find app-specific controls overwhelming, though uptake of voluntary tools remains dismally low.
Some experts question whether bans work at all. Jessica Piotrowski from the University of Amsterdam said there is “no data” suggesting bans are effective, with “some data that actually suggests, when you try to ban, it can actually do them harm.”
Why Europe Can’t Wait for Silicon Valley
The industry’s self-serving objections miss the bigger picture.
Platforms profit from addictive design and controversial content that keeps users scrolling. Their recent policy changes aren’t about free speech; they’re about protecting advertising revenue and user engagement.
European regulators see through the corporate spin.
France's CNIL data protection regulator warned that unchecked age verification could "lead to the establishment of a closed digital world" yet accepted targeted measures for protecting minors from harmful content.
The European Commission said it’s developing its own age verification app, currently being tested in Denmark, Italy, France, Greece and Spain. Unlike platform-designed systems, these tools prioritise user privacy over data harvesting.
The Solution: Coordinated European Action
Europe needs unified standards, not fragmented national approaches. France seeks EU-wide regulations, with Macron stating that banning kids would be a “European competence.”
Denmark plans to dedicate October’s EU digital ministers summit entirely to child online safety. The country also eyes future legislation like the Digital Fairness Act to enforce stricter consumer protection standards for minors.
Practical solutions already exist. France’s double-blind age verification system protects privacy whilst blocking harmful content. The UK’s Online Safety Act, though imperfect, establishes legal frameworks for platform accountability.
What’s needed now is political will to enforce these measures consistently across Europe.
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