Social media and mental harms under the Digital Services Act
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Level 5 by design analogy (legal and regulatory analysis/framework paper with no new empirical data).
OpenAlex W7124170697 · doi:10.14763/2026.1.2056
What was done
The authors conducted a legal and policy analysis of the European Union's Digital Services Act (DSA). They evaluated how existing risk assessment and mitigation obligations imposed on Very Large Online Platforms can be used by the European Commission and platform providers to address mental harms linked to ad-based social media design without waiting for new legislation.
What was found
The abstract reports no quantitative or empirical data. The authors theorized three distinct legal concepts or "mental goods" covered under DSA obligations: individual mental well-being, public mental health, and the fundamental right to mental integrity, outlining how these concepts can be applied during platform risk assessments and enforcement.
Why it matters
This paper outlines how existing EU digital regulations can be applied immediately to hold large social media platforms accountable for design choices that harm user mental health, bypassing lengthy legislative timelines for new laws.
Limits
The paper provides theoretical legal interpretation and policy analysis rather than empirical measurement or causal testing. It does not measure the real-world enforcement efficacy, technical feasibility of proposed mitigations, or measurable mental health impacts on users.
Cited by
- context The European Union Commission found TikTok in breach of the Digital Services Act for design features that create compulsion and addictive autopilot behavior.