Spain plans to bar minors under 16 from accessing social media, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday, introducing age-verification requirements for platforms.
The Spanish government, led by Sanchez's left-wing coalition, aims to shield children from what he described as the "digital Wild West." Spain has joined a group of five other European nations, dubbed the "Coalition of the Digitally Willing," to coordinate cross-border regulation, although the members have not been publicly named. The coalition is set to hold its first meeting in the coming days...
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcXhL5v_Dak</social>
Alongside the social media ban, Spain will introduce legislation holding platform executives accountable for illegal content, criminalising algorithmic manipulation, and tracking hate speech online. Sanchez stressed that age-verification systems must go beyond simple checkboxes to ensure compliance.
The government also signaled that prosecutors would investigate potential legal infractions by platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and Elon Musk's Grok. Sanchez said the legislation process could begin as early as next week, marking a significant step in Europe's broader effort to regulate digital spaces for minors...
What do you think about these measures?