Xln Addictive Fx

[Fritzi Vanderweel]

YesMost smokers use tobacco regularly because they are addicted to nicotine. Addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and use, even in the face of negative health consequences. The majority of smokers would like to stop smoking, and each year about half try to quit permanently. Yet, only about 6 percent of smokers are able to quit in a given year.25 Most smokers will need to make multiple attempts before they are able to quit permanently.22 Medications including varenicline, and some antidepressants (e.g. bupropion), and nicotine-replacement therapy, can help in many cases (see "What are treatments for tobacco dependence?").26

A transient surge of endorphins in the reward circuits of the brain causes a slight, brief euphoria when nicotine is administered. This surge is much briefer than the "high" associated with other drugs. However, like other drugs of abuse, nicotine increases levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in these reward circuits,20,21,27 which reinforces the behavior of taking the drug. Repeated exposure alters these circuits' sensitivity to dopamine and leads to changes in other brain circuits involved in learning, stress, and self-control. For many tobacco users, the long-term brain changes induced by continued nicotine exposure result in addiction, which involves withdrawal symptoms when not smoking, and difficulty adhering to the resolution to quit.28,29

The pharmacokinetic properties of nicotine, or the way it is processed by the body, contribute to its addictiveness.24 When cigarette smoke enters the lungs, nicotine is absorbed rapidly in the blood and delivered quickly to the brain, so that nicotine levels peak within 10 seconds of inhalation. But the acute effects of nicotine also dissipate quickly, along with the associated feelings of reward; this rapid cycle causes the smoker to continue dosing to maintain the drug's pleasurable effects and prevent withdrawal symptoms.30

Withdrawal occurs as a result of dependence, when the body becomes used to having the drug in the system. Being without nicotine for too long can cause a regular user to experience irritability, craving, depression, anxiety, cognitive and attention deficits, sleep disturbances, and increased appetite. These withdrawal symptoms may begin within a few hours after the last cigarette, quickly driving people back to tobacco use.

When a person quits smoking, withdrawal symptoms peak within the first few days of the last cigarette smoked and usually subside within a few weeks.31 For some people, however, symptoms may persist for months, and the severity of withdrawal symptoms appears to be influenced by a person's genes.30,31

In addition to its pleasurable effects, nicotine also temporarily boosts aspects of cognition, such as the ability to sustain attention and hold information in memory. However, long-term smoking is associated with cognitive decline and risk of Alzheimer's Disease, suggesting that short-term nicotine-related enhancement does not outweigh long-term consequences for cognitive functioning.32 In addition, people in withdrawal from nicotine experience neurocognitive deficits such as problems with attention or memory.33 These neurocognitive withdrawal symptoms are increasingly recognized as a contributor to continued smoking.34 A small research study also suggested that withdrawal may impair sleep for severely dependent smokers, and that this may additionally contribute to relapse.35

Smoking is linked with a marked decrease in the levels of monoamine oxidase (MAO), an important enzyme that is responsible for the breakdown of dopamine, as well as a reduction in MAO binding sites in the brain.42 This change is likely caused by some as-yet-unidentified ingredient in tobacco smoke other than nicotine, because we know that nicotine itself does not dramatically alter MAO levels. Animal research suggests that MAO inhibition makes nicotine more reinforcing, but more studies are needed to determine whether MAO inhibition affects human tobacco dependence.42Animal research has also shown that acetaldehyde, another chemical in tobacco smoke created by the burning of sugars added as sweeteners, dramatically increases the reinforcing properties of nicotine and may also contribute to tobacco addiction.43

E. whereas all online services and products that are likely to be accessed by children should be designed with the best interests of the child as the primary consideration; whereas certain online services and products can be highly risky, addictive, or otherwise harmful for children, such as due to the combined impact of several features or their cumulative impact over time;

F. whereas according to some research, excessive screen time or problematic use may impact brain development; whereas increases in social media use problems are linked to attention deficits, shorter attention spans, impulsiveness and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms(8); whereas intensive social media use has been associated with lower levels of grey matter in certain areas of the brain, just as is the case with other addictive substances; whereas excessive screen time has been shown to have potential effects on neurodevelopment, learning and memory, and the sedentary lifestyle linked to time spent on electronic media brings a potential increased risk of early neurodegeneration(9);

H. whereas on average, adolescent girls spend more time online, on smartphones, social media and texting than boys; whereas boys spend more time on gaming and electronic devices in general; whereas girls show a stronger association between screen time and poor mental health than boys and are more than twice as likely to have clinically relevant levels of depressive symptoms than boys; whereas addictive online services are often targeted at minors or accessible to children of all ages; whereas all services and products likely to be accessed by children must be safe for them and consider the best interest of the child;

M. whereas certain recommender systems, which are based both on personalisation and on interaction such as clicks and likes, potentially represent an important persuasive, addictive or behavioural design feature; whereas simultaneously recommender systems can contribute to the functionality of platforms to enhance social interaction, but are often also aimed at keeping users on the platform; whereas the Digital Services Act (DSA) has introduced a number of transparency obligations on recommender systems;

N. whereas many tech companies use experimental dashboards as the basis for their design decisions; whereas such real-life experiments are made directly on consumers without their knowledge or consent; whereas it is unclear to what extent such experiments are subject to safety measures due to the lack of transparency in their deployment;

2. Believes that digital addiction and persuasive technologies are problems that require a comprehensive regulatory response from the EU, with a series of supportive policy initiatives, to meaningfully address digital addiction and empower citizens with the ability to determine how they use digital services and products to further their own goals and be protected against new forms of addiction and problematic uses of the internet;

3. Is alarmed that certain platforms and other tech companies exploit psychological vulnerabilities to design digital interfaces for commercial interests that maximise the frequency and duration of user visits, so as to prolong the use of online services and to create engagement with the platform; stresses that addictive design can cause harm to physical and psychological health as well as material harm to consumers; calls on the Commission to urgently assess and, where appropriate, close existing regulatory gaps with regard to consumer vulnerabilities, dark patterns and addictive features of digital services;

4. Stresses that despite a strongly evolving EU legal framework in the digital field, including the DSA or the AI Act, the issue of addictive design is not sufficiently covered in existing EU legislation, and if not addressed could lead to further deterioration in the area of public health, especially affecting minors; considers that if the topic remains unaddressed, Parliament should take the lead and use its right of legislative initiative; calls on the Commission to ensure strong and robust enforcement of all existing legislation on the matter with the highest possible degree of transparency; calls on the Commission to adopt the necessary guidelines under Articles 25 and 35 of the DSA to that end;

7. Recalls that the Commission assessment on taxonomies of dark patterns notes that certain addictive design features may not be taken into account in the current legislation, including the infinite scroll and the default autoplay function; stresses that other addictive design features such as constant push notifications or read receipt notifications are not covered by existing legislation either; recalls that there remains legal uncertainty regarding the rules applicable to addictive interface design; underlines the UCDP guidance; stresses the importance of keeping guidance updated and providing legal certainty in the context of new technological developments; calls on the Commission to assess and prohibit harmful addictive techniques that are not covered by existing legislation;

12. Believes that any response at the EU level should aim to create meaningful consultation, cooperation, and collaboration with and between stakeholders, and involve in particular lawmakers, public health bodies, healthcare professionals, industry, in particular SMEs, as well as media regulators, consumer organisations and NGOs; stresses that stakeholders are encouraged to work collaboratively to develop, assess and take regulative actions to prevent and minimise the harm associated with problematic online behaviours; calls on the Commission to facilitate a meaningful dialogue between all relevant stakeholders; underlines the need to provide suitable forums for this dialogue;

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