Inside the Big Tech Lobbying Machine Aiming to Halt Social Media Bans

In November, Kim van Sparrentak, a Green Party lawmaker from the Netherlands, left a European Parliament debate on whether to bar young teenagers from social media and heard a Meta message opposing the ban on a podcast she was listening to. She said the interruption startled her; she had become a prime target in the industry’s lobbying campaign.

Ms. van Sparrentak has also followed a Los Angeles trial testing whether platforms like Instagram and YouTube act as “digital casinos,” a claim Mark Zuckerberg of Meta forcefully rejected on the stand. American tech companies have poured money and staff into Brussels, hiring lobbyists, buying billboards and courting lawmakers across the political spectrum.

Industry spending in the E.U. reached about 151 million euros last year, up more than 55 percent since 2021; Meta spent roughly €10 million and Google about €4.5 million.

Netherlands, Brussels

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