Regulating social media and new digital media with age rating

Good afternoon,

I wanted to take part in the forum because I had been returning to a matter of concern to me as a father, and I did not know where a citizens’ initiative could be raised in this area. I would like to receive advice on whether or not it is really a topic on this platform.

I came to the idea, thank you very much in advance:)

Objective:

Ensure that the content consumed by each age group of European Union citizens is adequate, with particular emphasis on the smallest. 

Proposal:

One of the main problems of children today is the exposure of children on social media. We have not only addiction problems, but also problems of depression, mercantilitisation, hypersexualisation, etc. 

It may be naïve to think that in the coming decades the solution to these problems is in the hands of the parents alone. Due to the fact that the use of new technologies is increasingly rooted in society, it is inevitable that children will increasingly have access to digital content. 

In order to bring regulation into line with the evolution of these technologies, it is therefore necessary to regulate the content to which the youngest and most vulnerable have access. This makes much sense given that most audiovisual media already have specific regulations in the same field. For example, video games are certified as PEGI (Pan-european Game Information) or films have an age rating system which varies according to geography. 

We therefore propose that all those creators of social media content for profit should have their channel classified according to the type of content they publish, and that social media should prevent this content from reaching minors who are underaged. 

To that end, social media should in some way be obliged to practise a simple KYC on its users in order to be sure of the age of those who are viewing the content. On the other hand, content creators would be classified according to parameters similar to those used in video games and films with particular emphasis on the following data:

— Use of sexual images

Erotic or stereotypical stereotyping of the human body 

— Violence 

— insults and inappropriate vocabulary 

— Marketing and advertising of products 

We do not say that this content should be prohibited. That is not the question, we do not consider whether or not the erotic content is appropriate. What matters is to decide at which age each thing can be seen. 

For example, a 5-year-old child should not be the target of a marketing campaign through influencers on certain channels. Or perhaps 7 years old, it is too early to view content that can help this hypersexualisation of children. 

If a content creator wants to have some publications dedicated to all audiences and others more suitable for adults, it would be more appropriate for it to have separate channels and for each of these channels to have the most appropriate age classification.