As a society, we have long neglected to regulate the digital living environment - once started as the free internet - in the same way as our physical world. We genuinely worry that we will only see the consequences for future generations in a few decades. It affects society, and it affects politics. Developments are happening so fast that there is insufficient time for reflection. Harmen Krul therefore wrote an opinion piece in the Algemeen Dagblad about better protecting children against addictive mobile games.
Read Harmens opinion piece in the AD from May 17 here
Better Protect Children Against Addictive Mobile Games
Parents with (young) children will recognize this. Besides the fact that the phone is a way for many children to communicate with others and use social media, many games are also played: Candy Crush, Clash Royale, or FIFA Mobile. Often for hours a day. It is a striking example of how digital technology has become an extension of ourselves and our children and is now indispensable in our lives.
However, most people do not realize that there is a problem with these online games. These games contain a range of misleading techniques; carefully designed to entice young people to spend as much money as possible. Loot boxes, digital treasure chests with random items that you can only buy for real money, are designed in such a way that the likelihood of repeat purchases increases with the number of packages sold. Think of the package of digital football cards - where you just never find the footballer you hope for. On top of these loot boxes, sneaky data collection and other addiction-sensitive techniques, such as rewards for daily logins, form the core of the revenue model of game providers.
These games are therefore not as innocent as they seem. It goes without saying that children and young people are particularly susceptible to these techniques, which lead to unconscious spending often without parental supervision, increased addiction, excessive screen time, and violations of privacy.
As a society, we have long neglected to regulate the digital living environment - once started as the free internet - in the same way as our physical world. We genuinely worry that we will only see the consequences for future generations in a few decades. It affects society, and it affects politics. Developments are happening so fast that there is insufficient time for reflection.
Reflection must go hand in hand with action. For example, the House of Representatives already voted in 2022 in favor of a motion calling for a ban on loot boxes. The cabinet repeatedly refers to new European legislation to regulate this. But we not only know that this will take too long, we are also receiving signals that this legislation is being weakened under pressure from the American tech oligarchy. The European Union must not allow this to happen.
The good news is that we can already do something now. In the United Kingdom, researcher and expert Leon Xiao found that of the 141 most popular games, only eight comply with the rules that already apply regarding advertising and marketing. This is not only the case in the United Kingdom but just as much in the Netherlands.
The solution therefore lies in strict enforcement by regulators, such as the ACM, with more resources. And let us start with the top 50 Dutch online games. This keeps it manageable and allows the biggest offenders to be quickly addressed. This can be started today.