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The Italian Parents Movement (#MOIGE) has launched the first class action in Europe against the major #social media platforms, demanding compliance with the minimum age limits already stipulated by current law and the elimination of predatory algorithms. The next hearing is scheduled for November 19, 2026.
Antonio Affinita, Director General and co-founder of MOIGE, spoke to us about this. “The technology that kids use today through social media is detrimental, dangerous, and must be reined in. Through our first class action in Europe, we demand, first and foremost, strict compliance with the limits already established by law—which set the minimum age at 14—and the removal from social media of all minors below this age, as currently required. We are pursuing this injunctive class action to remove millions of children who are effectively online with absolutely no protection.
And we also demand the elimination of predatory algorithms: algorithms engineered specifically to foster addiction in the vulnerable, developing minds of young people, while serving them dangerous content.” It is a legal battle that MOIGE describes as fundamentally uneven: “It is an uneven fight against powerhouses whose turnover exceeds the gross domestic product of an average European nation. It is appalling that they lack any ethical sensibility. We firmly believe that ethics are paramount when dealing with our children.”
Behind the statistics and regulatory demands, Affinita amplifies the voices of the affected families: “We feel an imperative duty to denounce, to report, and to be the voice of thousands upon thousands of parents who find their children forced into psychological and psychiatric treatment due to social media use, and many other parents who mourn their children because social media drove them to the ultimate tragedy: death. We will not take a single step back in this fight. We hope that at the next hearing—where we have prepared extensive documentation to counter their utterly risible arguments, which merely serve to delay justice—this lawsuit will set a decisive precedent and halt these abusive practices by those who peddle a dangerous, harmful, and potentially fatal product to our children.”
Who we are holding accountable
What is being brought to account is the liability of Meta and TikTok before the Milan Specialized Court for Commercial Enterprises, where MOIGE (Italian Parents Movement)—flanked by the Turin law firm Ambrosio & Commodo and a coalition of families—has spearheaded this injunctive class action in Europe against both platforms. The critical legal crux, according to Affinita, lies in the utter lack of safeguards for an audience fundamentally incapable of providing fully informed consent: “We are confronted with a product offered directly to minors without any parental consent, where the platforms refuse to assume responsibility for the harm they cause or harbor. We are facing an entirely unacceptable reality: it is intolerable that a service marketed to minors is unsafe and predatory, capable of driving them—as has already happened, with devastating cases of young people taking their own lives—to death. It pains me to recall that suicide is now the second leading cause of death among our youth. This reality must compel social media platforms to embrace mandatory, fundamental ethics if they wish to continue operating. Otherwise, it is entirely intolerable that entire generations are destroyed for corporate profit.”
Regarding concrete demands for lawmakers, an integrated approach—both regulatory and cultural—is paramount: “On this front, we demand the immediate enactment of rigorous regulations to eliminate current vulnerabilities and legal loopholes. No single measure solves everything, but every step helps mitigate the toxic impact of social media. We firmly believe that the regulatory dimension must go hand in hand with cultural and moral education. For years, we have been committed to this work, engaging with schools and families to promote the safe, conscious use of technology against cyber risks. I must emphasize this twofold approach—education and regulation—which are too often separated or pitted against each other: ‘no, lift the bans, rely solely on education’; ‘no, enforce bans without education’. Instead, they are two pillars of the same foundation, which must advance together to confront this crisis.”
