Spain has announced plans to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media, becoming the latest European country to move toward stricter age limits as governments increase scrutiny of online platforms and their impact on young users.
Government Proposal And Political Context
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the government would seek to protect children from what he described as a digital “Wild West,” speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday. The proposed ban still requires parliamentary approval and is part of a broader package of changes to Spain’s digital regulations.
Sánchez said the new framework would also make company executives responsible for “illegal or harmful content” on their platforms. He said the government would no longer accept what he described as the risks faced by children online and would move to strengthen protections.
Sánchez first raised the possibility of a ban in November. On Tuesday, he provided further details on how the plan would work and what additional measures would accompany it.
Age Verification And Platform Obligations
Under the proposal, social media platforms would be required to implement effective age verification systems. Sánchez said these would need to go beyond simple check boxes and include barriers that work in practice. He referred to loopholes seen elsewhere, including cases where children have bypassed checks by using photos of adults.
The plan would also criminalise the manipulation of algorithms to amplify illegal content. Sánchez said this content is created, promoted, and spread by specific actors and that platforms whose algorithms amplify disinformation for profit would be investigated.
He added that the government would no longer accept arguments that technology is neutral or that companies can hide behind code.
Monitoring And Enforcement Measures
Sánchez said the government would introduce a new system to track how digital platforms fuel division and amplify hate, though he did not provide details on how this system would operate.
He also said authorities would investigate and prosecute crimes committed by Grok, TikTok, and Instagram. The European Commission has already opened an investigation into Grok over concerns it was used to create sexualised images of real people.
The UK has announced its own investigation into Grok. In France on Tuesday, the offices of X were raided by the Paris prosecutor’s cyber-crime unit as part of an inquiry into allegations including unlawful data extraction and complicity in the possession of child pornography. X has not responded publicly to either investigation and has previously said the French inquiry amounts to an attack on free speech.
Legislative Hurdles In Spain
Sánchez said he hopes to get the laws passed next week, but his left-wing coalition government does not have a parliamentary majority, which could complicate the process.
Spain’s main opposition party, the conservative People’s Party, has said it supports the idea of a ban and has previously proposed similar restrictions. The far-right Vox party has opposed the plan.
Following the announcement, X owner Elon Musk described Sánchez as a “tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain.”
International Context And Other Countries
Australia became the first country in the world to introduce a ban on social media for children last year, and other governments are watching how that policy works in practice. France, Denmark, and Austria have said they are considering their own national age limits, while the UK government has launched a consultation on whether to introduce a ban for under-16s.
France has taken a leading role in Europe on the issue. President Emmanuel Macron has said he wants a ban for under-15s in place by the start of the next school year in September.
Social media companies have argued that such bans would be ineffective, difficult to enforce, and could isolate vulnerable teenagers. Reddit is challenging Australia’s ban in the High Court.
TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, Reddit, Discord, and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, have been approached for comment on Spain’s proposal.
Featured image credits: Heute.at
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