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2h ago

Spain Unveils Plan to Ban Under-16s From Social Media and Require Robust Age Checks

Passage is uncertain because Sánchez governs without a parliamentary majority.

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Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez gives a speech during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first in December when it banned young teenagers from some of the world's most popular platforms, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok while France and Portugal have also sought to follow suit. (Photo by FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced the proposal at the World Government Summit in Dubai, saying platforms must implement effective age verification, with the package to be introduced for approval starting next week.
  • The plan would make tech executives criminally liable for failing to remove illegal or hateful content from their platforms.
  • Spain also aims to criminalize algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content and to create a “hate and polarization footprint” to track how platforms fuel division.
  • The move positions Spain alongside countries pursuing age-based restrictions, with Australia’s under-16 ban already in force and France and Denmark advancing similar measures under the EU’s Digital Services Act framework.
  • Tech companies have raised feasibility and rights concerns and some have mounted legal challenges in Australia, while X owner Elon Musk attacked Sánchez online following the announcement.