Tell Europe to ban addictive design

Your phone is not designed to help you. Apps are designed to make you a dopamine addict. Every colour, vibration and scroll is carefully designed to keep you hooked.

No amount of self-discipline can beat this system.

That’s why the EU has to act.

Thanks to our pressure, the European Commission is finally considering rules against addictive design. But the tech lobby is fighting back. And they are fighting hard.

We can’t let them win. Raise your voice now: with our tool you can easily take part in the Commission’s public consultation and demand action.

If we don’t act now, this manipulation will shape the mental health and brain development of generations to come. It’s time to take back control over our own time, focus and peace of mind.

1. Stop addictive design

Tiktok, Instagram, YouTube, they work like slot machines. You never reach the end. There’s always one more post, one more video, one more dopamine hit…

This “infinite” design keeps us scrolling for hours, and the longer we stay, the more money Big Tech makes.

We want to ban endless scroll and autoplay for everybody. Not only for children.

And for all online services, social media, dating apps, online games, video-sharing and streaming services.

So you can decide when to stop.

2. The right not to be disturbed

Bzzt. ping. Flash.

Every push notification, every alert, every read receipt pulls our attention back to our phone. Your brain is constantly chasing the next reward, the next text message, the next “breaking” update.

No wonder we get exhausted and stressed out. Our phone is designed that way.

That is why we want a legal right not to be disturbed. Attention-grabbing features like notifications and read receipts should be turned off by default. So you can study, work or even simply breathe without constant distraction..

3. Ethical design by default

Have you ever wondered why all notification icons are red? Bright colored apps or flashing notifications are not innocent choices. They are deliberate manipulation techniques to keep us online.

It’s time to make neutral, ethical design the norm, not the exception.

Tech companies must have a duty of care: it should be up to them to prove that their products are not addictive, to explain their design choices and to put our well being before profit.

Our time, focus and mental health are not for sale. Raise your voice! Tell the European Commission: ban addictive design now.