Leonardo Madio, winner of the Stars@Unipd Consolidator Grant 2025
Leonardo Madio, Associate Professor at the Department of Economics and Management "Marco Fanno" (University of Padua), is the winner of the 30-month-long Supporting Talent in ReSearch@University of Padua (Stars@Unipd) Consolidator Grant 2025 for his research project 'SAFE-net' (€94,000).
Project description
Online platforms have reshaped how people share information and build communities, but they have also amplified harmful content, toxic dynamics, and access to age-restricted material. As regulations such as the EU Digital Services Act and the UK Online Safety Act increase expectations for platform accountability, 'SAFE-net' examines how content-moderation decisions are made and how they affect user welfare. The project combines theory and empirical evidence to study (i) how network effects can concentrate toxicity and generate spillovers across users, (ii) how different moderation tools (e.g., removal, demonetization, shadow-banning) perform under different platform business models, and (iii) how selective, user-targeted interventions such as age verification and age-gating can reduce harm while potentially displacing activity to grey areas and raising privacy concerns.
"'SAFE-net' asks a simple question:" explains Leonardo Madio, "why do platforms tolerate harmful or age-restricted content and what regulation can realistically change. I will develop the project both theoretically and empirically, starting from a core question: what incentives do platforms face when harmful content is also highly engaging and profitable? I will then examine which regulatory tools can curb these harms effectively, and when they may fall short or create unintended side effects."
Learn more about the Stars@Unipd programme:
