Spain to Follow UK with Plans to Ban Social Media for Under 16s

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said that the country plans to ban access to social media for children under the age of 16 and require platforms to implement age verification systems in a push to impose safety measures on what he called the “digital Wild West.”

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday, Sánchez said Spain would require “real barriers that work” for platforms in an attempt to restrict minors’ access. According to the world leader, Spanish authorities planned to hold platform executives criminally liable for infringements related to not removing “illegal or hateful” content.

“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,” said Sánchez. “Space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, violence. We will no longer accept that. We will protect them from the digital Wild West.”

The prime minister said that the laws would begin implementation next week. According to Sánchez, the plans were part of a larger push to crack down on disinformation on platforms from “algorithmic manipulation and amplification,” announcing investigations into Elon Musk’s Grok, Instagram and TikTok. 

Related: European Commission calls on 12 countries to implement crypto tax rules

Sánchez’s announcement came about two weeks after UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was open to considering a social media ban for minors. Authorities in Australia began requiring social media platforms to ban minors under 16 from having accounts in December.

Spanish regulators begin MiCA transition for crypto platforms

As a member state of the European Union, Spain is subject to the Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework passed in 2023. The law, intended to establish a comprehensive set of regulations and laws for crypto platforms operating in the EU, gives crypto companies that had been operating before December 2024 until June 30 to comply with MiCA or cease offering services.

Spain’s national securities regulator released its expectations for crypto companies in December, detailing authorizations, notifications and compliance requirements under MiCA.

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