Source: European Parliament
1. As outlined in the mission letter to the Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, the Commission will carry out an EU-wide inquiry on the broader impacts of social media and related excessive screentime on wellbeing and mental health, especially of children and young people. This initiative may include the collection of relevant data and consultations with key stakeholders. The scope, methodology and timeline of the inquiry are being developed.
This inquiry will build on enforcement actions currently under way in the context of the Digital Services Act[1], where the Commission is investigating mental health risks on social media platforms including TikTok[2] and Meta[3].
2. The Commission is also preparing an action plan to tackle cyberbullying. It would aim to develop a shared definition of cyberbullying; map national best practices to scale them up at EU level; foster cooperation with industry and civil society; and encourage a culture of seeking support and reporting cyberbullying.
The Commission services responsible for the inquiry and the action plan are working closely to ensure that the inquiry builds on and reinforces the existing work on mental health and social media, and that it aligns with the upcoming Digital Fairness Act.