Dutch MP proposes banning 'addictive design' on digital platforms

Bill against 'addictive design'

Dutch MP Barbara Kathmann of the centrist opposition party Progressief Nederland (PRO) introduced a bill on 2 November banning 'the most harmful addictive design elements' in digital services. This concerns infinite scrolling, autoplaying videos, push notifications and manipulative algorithms. According to the initiative's author, the ban 'protects both children and adults' — the Euronews editorial team reported on the proposal (English and Russian versions of the publication).

What the law changes in practice

The key difference of the proposal from familiar content requirements is a shift in the burden of proof. The law introduces a duty of care for platforms based on the 'fairness by design' principle: companies will have to prove themselves that their services do not cause addiction and design features as 'fair and non-manipulative'. In other words, it is not individual content that will be examined, but the interface design itself — something that affects every user, not only accounts that break the rules. Kathmann argues that 'people need to regain control over their own time and attention', and that manipulative online tricks affect mental and physical health, brain development and concentration.

Context: pressure on Big Tech and EU plans

The initiative fits into a broader backdrop: as Euronews notes, platforms are facing growing global resistance — human rights organisations have in recent years sued Meta, TikTok and Snapchat over concerns that their services are designed in a way that encourages addiction. Kathmann is coordinating her work with parliamentarians from Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy and Portugal. This is not the first such initiative from the Netherlands: in 2023 the European Parliament adopted a report by MEP Kim van Sparrentak (also from PRO) calling on the European Commission to put forward a proposal to ban addictive design; she has backed the new bill, stating that 'no amount of willpower can beat Big Tech's tricks'. For now, Kathmann's proposal is only a submitted bill, not an adopted law. At the same time, according to the publication, the European Commission is preparing a proposal in November under the Digital Fairness Act, in which an EU-wide ban on addictive design is named as one of the key measures; it is complemented by the forthcoming EU Kids Act (shifting responsibility for children's safety from parents to platforms) and the Digital Services Act, in force since 2022, which obliges the largest platforms and search engines to detect and remove illegal content.