PRESS RELEASE
Paris, April 27, 2026
EUROPEAN ALLIANCE AGAINST PREDATORY ALGORITHMS:
EUROPEAN PARENTS' ASSOCIATIONS READY TO EVALUATE
AN INJUNCTIVE CLASS ACTION BASED ON THE ITALIAN MODEL
“Our children are not a market. Stop the digital manipulation of minors”
Paris, APRIL 27, 2026 — The General Assembly of the EPA – European Parents' Association, meeting in Paris over the past few days, examined the issue of the digital protection of European minors across multiple dimensions, including participation in several EU-funded projects. Furthermore, they endorsed the grounds for the injunctive class action brought against Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and TikTok, and will assess the opportunity to follow suit within their respective national legal frameworks, adopting the pioneering model developed in Italy by MOIGE – Movimento Italiano Genitori with the backing of the Turin-based law firm Ambrosio & Commodo.
The Italian initiative — the first European injunctive class action against social media platforms concerning child protection, currently pending before the Specialized Commercial Court of Milan with an initial hearing scheduled for May 14, 2026 — was presented as a blueprint that can be replicated and tailored to various national legal jurisdictions, underpinned by the conviction that the fight against addiction-inducing algorithms targeting minors transcends national borders.
The unifying thread across the 30 EPA member associations is the denunciation, supported by robust scientific evidence, of unlawful and harmful practices deployed by social media platforms against European children and teenagers: algorithmic manipulation, infinite scrolling, behavioral profiling, and the use of artificial intelligence to maximize platform retention time constitute forms of “persuasive technology” — so-called captology — that exploit the dopaminergic pathways of the developing brain, triggering addiction and lasting harm.
The scientific consensus is undeniable: the prefrontal cortex reaches full development around the age of 25, leaving minors biologically vulnerable to computational manipulation. This was reaffirmed, among others, by a study published in JAMA Pediatrics in June 2025 (Maza et al.), while the European Commission, in its study “Well-being and mental health at school” (May 2024), documented the declining mental health of European students directly linked to inappropriate social media use.
The legal framework: DSA, DMA, and the AI Act as the foundation for action
The injunctive actions that prompted MOIGE to take definitive legal steps, and which other EPA associations have endorsed, are firmly rooted in European law: the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Digital Markets Act (DMA), and the Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act) explicitly acknowledge the reality of manipulative AI and ban its most harmful applications. Yet — as the associations gathered in Paris denounce — none of these instruments has so far delivered concrete, effective protections for minors. It is precisely this regulatory inaction that the class action seeks to challenge, leveraging the collective redress mechanisms established by each legal system under the transposition of the European Representative Actions Directive.
An action built on three core pillars — enforcing mandatory age verification, dismantling algorithmic addiction mechanisms, and upholding transparent disclosure obligations regarding health risks to minors. The legal team stands ready to assist partner European associations in structuring their respective legal challenges, in full compliance with each national jurisdiction.
A single voice from across Europe
“We welcome the extraordinary reception that European associations have given to our legal initiative. We are making our expertise and resources fully available to all EPA partners,” declared Antonio Affinita, Director General of MOIGE.
Stefano Crico, European President of the EPA – European Parents' Association, added: “Child protection is not being adequately safeguarded by these platforms: our children are being harmed by algorithms deliberately engineered to foster distress and addiction, in flagrant breach of existing laws. As the EPA, we firmly endorse this alliance and urge every member association to take decisive action in their respective countries. The time has come for Europe to speak with one united voice to defend its children.”
Press contacts:
MOIGE – Tel. 06 321 5669 – segreteria@moige.it
www.classactionsocial.it
Further information:
| DATE | ARTICLE TITLE | LINK |
|---|---|---|
| 27.04.26 | Moige: “European parents' associations ready to consider injunctive class action against predatory algorithms” | adnkronos |
| _______________ |
