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Spain Unveils Draft Law Barring Social Media for Under-16s, Targeting Algorithm Abuse

The youth ministry’s proposal now moves to parliamentary scrutiny, with feasibility and legal alignment still to be tested.

Overview

  • The draft would set a firm minimum age of 16 for social media accounts and would not allow parental consent as an exception.
  • Plans include stricter age-verification and registration requirements designed to curb underage access on major platforms.
  • The package proposes criminal liability for manipulation of recommendation algorithms intended to limit disinformation and hate speech.
  • President Pedro Sánchez presented the five-measure plan at the World Government Summit in Dubai, framing the effort as protecting children from an unregulated online environment.
  • Officials and observers describe the initiative as among Europe’s most ambitious, as other countries such as Germany debate similar age limits.