“Spain will prohibit access to social media for minors under 16”, Sánchez said in a speech at the World Government Summit taking place in the United Arab Emirates. He added that platforms would be required to introduce effective age-verification systems – “not just tick boxes, but real barriers that actually work”.
“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” Sánchez said, describing an environment of “addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence.” “We will no longer accept this”, he added.
The left-wing leader also announced plans to change the law so that “platform executives are legally responsible for many of the violations that occur on their websites”. This would mean that chief executives of technology platforms could face criminal liability for failing to remove illegal or hate-inciting content.
Sánchez had already signalled in November that he intended to raise the minimum age for accessing social media to 16. In Tuesday’s speech, he said the proposal formed part of a package of five concrete measures to be approved “starting next week.”
The Spanish prime minister does not have a parliamentary majority and has recently struggled to secure enough support to pass legislation. Australia paved the way by banning social media for under-16s in December, and other countries – including France, Portugal, and now Spain – have expressed interest in following suit.
