Spain to ban social media for under-16s

Spain is the latest to join the list of countries that have banned access to social media for children under 16, said Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

Sánchez chided the world’s biggest tech companies in a speech at a Dubai summit, saying they allow illegal content such as child sex abuse and non-consensual sexualised deepfake images to proliferate on their platforms. He said governments also needed to “stop turning a blind eye”.

“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” Sánchez said. “We will no longer accept that.” Spain joins a growing number of countries, including Australia and France, which have taken or are considering measures to restrict minors’ access to social media.

In January, France approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to take effect at the start of the next school year in September. The bill would also ban the use of mobile phones in high schools.

Australia has started implementing the world’s first social media ban for under-16s, after its government passed a measure that holds platforms, including TikTok, Twitch, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram, liable for failing to prevent children from having accounts.

Denmark has introduced similar legislation to ban access to social media for users under 15, while authorities in the UK said last month they would consider banning young teenagers from social media, as it tightens laws designed to protect children from harmful content and excessive screen time.

Sánchez said Spain would require social media companies to enforce the ban with age verification systems, “not just check boxes, but real barriers that work”. Many social media apps require users to be at least 13, though enforcement varies. Users are often asked to declare their own age.

Spain’s ban will be added to an already existing measure centred on digital protections for minors that is being debated by Parliament, a government spokesperson said. Sánchez said that could happen as early as next week.

It is unclear if Sánchez’s left-wing coalition will get the approval needed in Parliament, where his government lacks a majority. A spokesperson for the far-right Vox party said the Sánchez government’s measure was aimed at “making sure that no one criticises them”, while the main opposition party – the centre-right Popular Party – said it had proposed similar restrictions last year, seemingly offering its support.