EU Draft Digital Fairness Act Targets Addictive Features and AI Chatbots

The significance here is structural rather than symbolic: the EU is moving from content moderation toward regulating engagement mechanics themselves, which strikes at the core design logic of platform business models. The explicit inclusion of AI systems that simulate relationships extends the scope beyond social feeds into companion-style products, a category with little regulatory precedent. The 6% global revenue penalty framework gives the rules real teeth if enacted. The open question is whether the draft survives industry lobbying and how narrowly 'addictive' features are ultimately defined, since that definition determines how much of the affected companies' product surface actually changes.