Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced plans to ban children under 16 from using social media, following Australia's lead. The legislation, part of broader regulations, could take effect next week with strict age-verification requirements. Sanchez criticized platforms for exposing children to harm and called for accountability from tech executives.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez made the announcement on Tuesday at the World Government Summit in Dubai, describing social media as a "failed state" where "laws are ignored and crime is endured." He highlighted risks to children, stating, "Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone: a space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence." Sanchez pledged, "We will no longer accept that. We will protect them from the digital wild west."
The ban targets users under 16 and will require platforms to implement "effective age-verification systems -- not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work." While details on affected platforms remain unclear, Sanchez specifically criticized TikTok, Instagram, and X, announcing that his government will investigate legal infringements involving Grok, TikTok, and Instagram. The measure forms part of a five-step regulatory plan, including criminalizing algorithmic amplification of illegal content and holding executives liable for hate speech and division on their sites. Spain has also formed a coalition with five other unnamed European countries to strengthen social media governance.
This follows Australia's December law banning under-16s from platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram, with fines up to $33 million for non-compliance. Tech firms in Australia have mixed responses: TikTok, Meta, and Snapchat began removing underage accounts, while Reddit challenged the law in court, arguing it imposes intrusive verification on all users.
Similar initiatives are advancing elsewhere. France's National Assembly passed a ban for under-16s, now pending in the Senate; the UK is debating one in the House of Commons; and Denmark, Norway, and Malaysia are planning comparable measures. Unlike bans in countries such as China and Russia, which stem from political censorship, Spain's focus is on child safety.
