Lorraine Williamson
Spain is preparing to ban access to social media for under-16s, with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pitching tougher age checks and stricter rules for platforms that fail to control illegal or harmful content.
The proposal would be folded into a broader digital protection bill for minors that is already moving through parliament, with age verification expected to become a central requirement for platforms operating in Spain.
What Sánchez says will change
According to reporting from international agencies, the plan goes beyond age limits.
Sánchez has also called for measures that would increase responsibility on platforms and executives when illegal content remains online, and for action against systems that amplify harmful material.
The political reality is still complicated. Sánchez does not have a guaranteed parliamentary majority, meaning the final shape — and the timetable — will depend on negotiations in Congress.
Sharenting rules in Spain
Why this is spreading across Europe
Spain is not acting in isolation. Across Europe, governments are wrestling with the same question: how to protect children online without pushing them into harder-to-police corners of the internet.
France and other countries have already moved toward stronger controls, and the debate is accelerating as concerns rise over addictive design, harassment, and sexually abusive material, including AI-generated abuse.
Sources: