Europe Wants To Ban 'Dark Patterns' In Apps And Loot Boxes For Minors

The European Commission proposed the Digital Fairness Act, new consumer protection rules targeting unclear pricing, hard-to-cancel subscriptions, addictive app design, ads aimed at minors and "dark patterns," with penalties of up to 6% of a company's global annual revenue for breaches. EU justice chief Michael McGrath said the rules aim to make businesses compete on product merit rather than on exploiting consumers or evading rules. The draft would ban dark patterns, require transparent online pricing for cultural and sports events, let users disable addictive design features, and restrict practices that drive overspending by minors, including loot boxes and persistent prompts. It also covers influencer marketing transparency and unfair personalized ads and prices targeting minors. The proposal matters because it would set a global precedent for regulating app design and children's monetization, with the 6% revenue cap giving it real teeth. Watch next for negotiations with the European Parliament and member states, and for how gaming and subscription companies lobby to soften the loot box and cancellation provisions.