Banning the infinite scroll: Pro MP files bill on addictive apps

Kathmann’s bill targets online designs that keep people using a service longer or encourage them to spend money. It would treat these manipulative features as unfair commercial practices. That matters because unfair commercial practices are already illegal under Dutch consumer law, although current rules mainly focus on physical products.

The proposal specifically mentions infinite scroll and similar designs. It applies to social media platforms, games, and dating apps. Kathmann also wants chatbots covered because she says they can contain tricks that encourage addiction and spending.

Her comparison is direct: unsafe physical products can be removed from the market, so unsafe online platforms should be redesigned. She hopes Dutch legislation will push the European Union to act. MPs in several other European countries are working on similar proposals, while a Dutch court has already required Meta to offer chronological, non-algorithmic feeds by default in the Netherlands.

Infinite scroll is a design where new posts, videos, or other content appear continuously as users move down a page. Unlike pages with a clear end, it offers no obvious stopping point. The design can make an app feel effortless to keep using.

Its key mechanism is the removal of natural pauses. A user does not need to choose a new page or decide whether to continue. Each swipe or movement reveals something else, so curiosity and the promise of the next item can extend a session beyond the user’s original intention.

The article places infinite scroll among features that keep users online and push them toward spending money. Kathmann wants such designs treated as unfair commercial practices. The proposal covers social media platforms, games, dating apps, and chatbots, and aims to make online services adapt their designs rather than rely on manipulative features.

If manipulative design features were classified as unfair commercial practices, they could become illegal under Dutch consumer law. The important change would be applying rules traditionally aimed at physical products to digital services. Platforms could no longer treat addictive or spending-focused design as merely a business choice.

Kathmann’s examples include infinite scroll and tricks in chatbots. She says these features keep people online, make them addicted, and tempt them to spend money. Her comparison is an unsafe doll: if a physical product is unsafe, it is taken off the market. Online platforms, she argues, should similarly return to the drawing board.

The article does not specify exact penalties or enforcement steps. It does show the intended direction: platforms would need to adapt their designs. A Dutch law could also encourage Brussels to create EU-wide rules, while related legislation is being pursued by MPs in several other countries.

Barbara Kathmann is a Pro MP in the Netherlands. She is submitting a bill to parliament that would regulate manipulative online design. Her focus is not simply what platforms sell, but how their interfaces influence users’ behavior.

Kathmann told NOS that social media platforms, games, dating apps, and chatbots can use tricks to keep people online and tempt them to spend money. She says a handful of technology billionaires earn a fortune from these practices. In her view, digital platforms have become the new high street or marketplace, so consumer rules should cover them.

She compares online safety with physical product safety. An unsafe doll is removed from the market, she said. Unsafe social media platforms should instead go back to the drawing board and be adapted. She would prefer EU action, but is pursuing Dutch legislation because European agreement would take too long.

The legislation involves MPs from eight European countries when the Netherlands is included. The countries are the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, and Portugal. Their shared concern is the use of manipulative designs by online platforms.

Kathmann is submitting the Dutch proposal, while she is also working with MPs elsewhere who want similar laws. The article does not say that all eight countries have adopted legislation. It says MPs in those countries are working on comparable measures.

This cross-border effort reflects the reach of social media platforms, games, dating apps, and chatbots. Kathmann would prefer a single European Union response because platforms operate across borders. However, she believes waiting for EU action would take too long, so she hopes a Dutch law can move first and prompt Brussels to respond.

Kathmann prefers the European Union to tackle manipulative online design. A European approach could create common rules across countries instead of relying on one national law. Her proposal concerns platforms used across borders, including social media, games, dating apps, and chatbots.

She is not waiting for that outcome because she says EU action would take too long. Kathmann is therefore submitting a Dutch bill to parliament first. It would classify manipulative design features as unfair commercial practices under Dutch consumer law.

She hopes the Dutch law will prompt Brussels to act. Her effort already connects with MPs in Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Italy, and Portugal who want similar legislation. The article also notes a Dutch court order requiring Meta to let users set a chronological, non-algorithmic feed as their default, showing that platform design is already being challenged nationally.

The article describes a business model built around users’ attention and spending. Social media platforms, games, and dating apps use design features to keep people online. The longer users remain engaged, the more opportunities the platform has to tempt them to spend money.

Infinite scroll is one example because it removes a clear stopping point and continually presents more content. Kathmann also says chatbots contain tricks that can make people addicted and encourage spending. The article does not explain a detailed payment system for each type of app, but it clearly links prolonged use and spending pressure.

Kathmann says these practices help a handful of tech billionaires earn a fortune. She wants the designs treated as unfair commercial practices, arguing that online platforms are now the new high street or marketplace. Her proposed Dutch law could force platforms to adapt these features.