EuroHealthNet responds to consultation on audiovisual media services
The EU's Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD) establishes EU-wide coordination of national legislation covering audiovisual media services, including television broadcasts and on-demand services, as well as video-sharing platforms (VSPs). Currently, the Commission is undertaking an evaluation of the AVMSD and its implementation.
EuroHealthNet responded to the consultation to call for a public health and health equity perspective. Existing definitions and regulations must be updated to reflect the changing landscape of media. Today's media allows the promotion of health-harming products and behaviours, often through misleading, non-evidence-based, or false information. Current regulatory frameworks do not sufficiently capture influencer-led content, short-form videos, and algorithmically curated feeds on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and other channels widely used by children and young people.
Children, younger people, lower-income and lower-education groups, and other socially vulnerable populations may be more exposed to different forms of commercial health messaging, and are less protected from their effects. Without clearer and more up-to-date definitions, existing inequalities in health risks and outcomes may be further reinforced.
