Aza Raskin, the creator of the endless scroll, described it as “behavioral cocaine” in an interview with the BBC. This social media technique is common as a way to increase usage time. Just scroll down again and again. Now the European Parliament has decided to pass a resolution that will ban it.

We are putting an end to this addictive technique. The European Parliament has passed a resolution calling for an end to addictive practices such as endless scrolling, with a large majority of 545 votes in favour.

According to MPs, there are social networks and online games that take advantage of this technique to create great addiction. “They exploit people’s vulnerabilities to capture their attention and monetize their data,” they explain.

It will radically change the design of applications such as TikTok or Instagram. The initiative aims to ensure apps embrace “ethical design” without addictive designs like opaque patterns or endless scrolling. This law, which has been approved but not yet finalized, will directly affect many of the most used social networks today, which advocate this design that connects us.

It’s an addiction problem like drugs. According to a report prepared by the European Parliament, 25 percent of young people use problematic phones. “There is no self-discipline that can overcome the tricks of big tech, directed by armies of designers and psychologists to keep you glued to your screen. If we don’t act now, it will have an impact on mental health and brain development.” “Future generations of people,” explains Kim Van Sparrentak, Dutch MEP rapporteur on this initiative.

The health effects of these social networks range from stress to depression to less physical activity. Although they admit that it has multiple positive effects, they warn about its dangers and call for regulation according to its effects.

The right to digital “not to be disturbed”. The ban on infinite scrolling is part of one of the actions Parliament wants to implement. The Commission was requested to enact a law that includes the so-called “digital right not to be disturbed”.

A concept that encompasses practices such as “think before sharing,” “disable all notifications by default,” “chronological sorting,” “weekly summaries of total screen time,” or automatically blocking the service after a predetermined period of use. Options that are already available in many systems and applications but that Europe wants to be mandatory.

Europe continues to do what it does best. Europe continues its strategy of regulating matters it deems unhelpful to users. With a decision taken by the Parliament, it now wants to put an end to the addictive use of social networks.

in Xataka | ‘Infinite scrolling’ has flooded social networks. Everything will change at Google now