Written question – Protecting minors from online trends harmful to their health – E-001624/2025

Question for written answer  E-001624/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Dimitris Tsiodras (PPE)

Platforms and social media allow for the dissemination of content which may have a negative and irreversible effect on the health of minors. Such trends include the recent ‘SkinnyTok challenge’, which encourages minors to stop eating for a prolonged period of time and promotes the ideal of extreme weight loss. This trend is dangerous, given that it has the potential to harm the health and physical development of a large number of minors. At the same time, access to such content is spreading very quickly and is found in hundreds of thousands of posts.

In light of the above, can the Commission say:

• 1.What does it intend to do to tackle the proliferation and rapid spread of such social media phenomena?
• 2.Following on from the Digital Services Act[1], does it consider that such content constitutes a systemic risk and that very large platforms should therefore apply the DSA provisions on risk management, such as identifying, assessing and mitigating these risks?
• 3.How effective are platforms’ efforts to ensure that minors have access to educational content on healthy eating and sources related to eating disorders?

Submitted: 23.4.2025

• [1] Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 on a Single Market for Digital Services and amending Directive 2000/31/EC.