When Algorithms Game Childhood: Social Media, Proxy Gaming and the Vulnerability of African Children
While artificial intelligence (AI) has been hailed as the defining technology of the century, akin to electricity, the key difference is the level of risk it poses to humanity. One of these risks is proxy gaming, widely regarded as a major pathway to catastrophic and existential AI risk.
“Proxy gaming in AI is a failure mode where an AI system optimises for a measurable shortcut (the proxy goal) instead of the actual human intent.”
Algorithmic proxy gaming in social media entails optimising measurable indicators such as clicks, likes, watch time, and engagement as proxies for user satisfaction. This leads to algorithms amplifying extreme, outrage-inducing content that maximises attention rather than content that promotes children’s well-being, in order to achieve their goal.
This raises concerns about how algorithms influence what children watch and what they see next, with different responses developed around the world.
European Union
The European Union mitigates algorithmic proxy gaming harms in children through a robust “double-defence” legislative framework: the EU AI Act and the Digital Services Act (DSA), under which large social media platforms are obliged to assess and mitigate systemic risks, including risks to minors arising from recommender systems and platform design.
In July 2026, the European Commission found that Meta’s use of features, such as infinite scrolling, autoplay, push notifications, and personalised recommendations was potentially in breach of the DSA with regard to the risks these pose to users’ well-being, including that of minors.
China
China has adopted very strict regulations, such as the “Interim Measures for the Administration of Artificial Intelligence Anthropomorphic Interactive Services” of April 2026, to reduce harms that children may encounter as they navigate social media platforms.
United States
The US employs a combination of federal regulatory crackdowns and state laws. Their strategy focuses on the financial incentive behind proxy gaming. As a result Meta is facing major litigation across the US concerning allegations that platform design and engagement mechanisms contribute to harms affecting young users
Africa
However, complex questions arise for Africa as algorithms affecting African children are developed, trained, and governed outside the continent. As a result, the optimisation objectives, safety measures, and regulatory obligations of these algorithms do not reflect Africa’s social, cultural, and commercial environments.
More troubling, African regulators currently have limited capacity to audit, challenge, or reconfigure these AI systems to align with African realities.
The question is no longer only “What are algorithms showing our children?” It is, “Who decides what African children should be shown—and according to whose values?
