Overview

• Spain’s main pediatric, neurology, psychiatry and psychology societies have united under Plataforma Control Z, led by former data protection chief Mar España, to combat adolescent screen overexposure.
• Experts characterize excessive screen use in youth as a “new pandemic” driving sleep loss, depression, low self-esteem, obesity, anxiety, aggression and a rise in eating disorders and self-harm.
• Neuroimaging studies cited by the platform reveal that intensive mobile use can cause reduced white matter integrity, cortical thinning and diminished prefrontal volumes, impairing impulse control and learning.
• Plataforma Control Z’s unified guidelines set zero screen time for ages 0–6, one hour daily for 7–12 year-olds, under two hours for those 13–16, and postpone smartphones and social media until age 16.
• The coalition plans to lobby the Education Ministry to tighten classroom screen use, embed parental-control tools in law and harmonize digital policies across all autonomous communities.