A year after the European Union’s landmark Digital Markets Act (DMA) came into effect, a new consumer survey suggests that the legislation has left many Europeans dissatisfied with their daily online experience.
The report, published today, conducted by Nextrade Group and commissioned by the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe), polled 5,000 consumers across 20 EU member states between April and May 2025.
It was the first large-scale attempt to measure how the DMA’s restrictions on major digital platforms are being felt by ordinary users.
The findings indicated widespread frustration. Two-thirds of respondents said they now needed more clicks or more complex search terms to find what they were looking for online.
Among frequent search users, 61 per cent reported spending up to 50 per cent more time searching compared to before the DMA’s implementation.
Everyday tasks appeared to have become more cumbersome. Forty-two per cent of frequent travellers said flight and hotel searches have deteriorated, while one-in-four reported difficulties in finding relevant jobs on LinkedIn. More than a third said they noticed a decline in the integration of Google Maps.
Consumers also felt services were less tailored to their needs. Thirty-nine per cent said online advertising was less relevant, while a third pointed to a reduction in the personalisation of streaming and video content. A quarter found it harder to locate suitable job opportunities.
More than 40 per cent of respondents said they would, in theory, pay extra to restore the functionality they enjoyed before the DMA came into force.
Maria Teresa Stecher, policy manager at CCIA Europe, said the findings “put numbers to what many Europeans already feel: many of their favourite online services have become less intuitive and more cumbersome under the DMA”.
“As EU policymakers prepare to review the DMA, it’s time to look beyond theory and consider the law’s real-world impact on services Europeans use every day.”
Daniel Friedlaender, senior vice president and head of CCIA Europe, added: “The DMA was meant to deliver more choice and better experiences, but the opposite appears to be happening. The upcoming review is a chance to align the DMA with consumer and market reality.”
The European Commission is currently consulting on the DMA, with submissions closing on September 24.
The European Commission has indicated it would limit its Digital Markets Act (DMA) fines due in the week starting April 1 on Apple and Meta and drop a separate case against Apple entirely. https://t.co/SDRqy8jMyX
— Brussels Signal (@brusselssignal) March 28, 2025
