Dutch lawmaker Barbara Kathmann wants manipulative online design explicitly classified as an unfair commercial practice, NOS reported, putting digital services’ influence over users’ time and spending into focus.
Kathmann is a Progressief Nederland (PRO) lawmaker with a digital affairs portfolio, according to the party’s profile. NOS reported Nov. 2 that her proposal targets features that keep users scrolling or prompt purchases they had not intended. Euronews said the plan would ask digital services to show their designs are fair and do not manipulate users. The proposal text was unavailable for review, leaving its detailed provisions, enforcement mechanism and exemptions unverified.
Euronews included streaming services in its account of the proposal’s scope, while NOS said chatbots could be covered. Both outlets also reported that social media, games and dating apps could be included. Without the proposal text, coverage of streaming services and chatbots is unverified.
Euronews quoted Kathmann as saying, “People need to regain control over their own time and attention.”
The Netherlands Enterprise Agency says current protections already cover goods and services and bar misleading or aggressive commercial practices. NOS reported that Kathmann wants manipulative platform design more explicitly categorized within that framework. Users are the intended beneficiaries of the proposal, while service providers would bear its proposed obligations, according to NOS. The reports provide no estimate of compliance costs.
A Dutch parliamentary motion proposed Feb. 20, 2025, called for a broad European ban on addictive and polarizing social-media design, including endless scrolling and automatic video playback. A 2023 European Parliament resolution said some online services seek to retain users’ attention to increase data collection, engagement or spending. It also described business models based on advertising and data, subscriptions or both.
The European Commission’s 2026 investigations into TikTok, Facebook and Instagram examine features such as endless scrolling, autoplay, push notifications and personalized recommendations. The findings are preliminary, not final rulings. The Commission’s published schedule places a Digital Fairness Act proposal in autumn 2026, with addictive design among the issues it aims to address.
