Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced Tuesday that his government will ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, requiring companies to implement strict age verification systems as part of a broader regulatory crackdown on digital platforms.
Sánchez declared during his address to the World Government Summit in Dubai that platforms will be required to implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work. The announcement positions Spain among a growing number of countries restricting youth access to social media following similar moves by Australia, France and Denmark.
The Spanish leader stated that children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone, describing social media as a digital Wild West involving addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence. The proposed ban will amend a draft bill currently being debated in the Spanish parliament and is scheduled for approval by the Council of Ministers next week.
Spain’s ban forms part of a wider package of measures aimed at regulating the digital space. Sánchez announced that his government would introduce legislation to hold social media executives criminally liable for failing to remove illegal or hateful content from their platforms. The proposals also include criminalizing the manipulation of algorithms and amplification of illegal content.
The prime minister stated that authorities will investigate platforms whose algorithms amplify disinformation in exchange for profit, adding that spreading hate must come at a cost, a legal cost, as well as an economic and ethical cost that platforms can no longer afford to ignore. The measures would require parliamentary approval to change Spanish law, according to a government spokesperson.
Sánchez said Spain had joined five other European countries in what he described as a coalition of the digitally willing to coordinate regulation of social media platforms at a multinational level. The prime minister called on governments to stop turning a blind eye to toxic content being shared on platforms.
The announcement follows Australia becoming the first country in December 2025 to implement a social media ban for under-16s, barring access to platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X (formerly known as Twitter). Platforms that fail to prevent children from having accounts face fines of up to 49.5 million Australian dollars, equivalent to approximately 32 million United States dollars.
France’s National Assembly approved legislation in January banning social media for children under 15, with President Emmanuel Macron stating he wanted the ban in place before the start of the new school year in September. Denmark has introduced similar legislation to ban access for users under 15, while the United Kingdom said last month it would consider banning young teenagers from social media as it tightens child protection laws.
Portugal’s governing Social Democratic Party submitted draft legislation Monday that would require children under 16 to obtain parental consent to access social media. The bill, introduced by lawmakers from the centre-right party, defines digital majority for independent access to platforms, services, games and apps at age 16.
Many social media platforms currently require users to be at least 13 years old, though enforcement varies widely. Users are often asked to declare their own age without verification. Spain has not yet specified which platforms will be affected by the new rules, though Sánchez criticized major platforms for allowing illegal content including child abuse materials.
The European Parliament approved a report in November 2025 calling for a minimum age of 16 to access social media without parental consent across the 27 European Union member states. The report recommended developing digital applications to verify age integrated into social media platforms and a European digital identity card.
Meta, owner of Instagram, Facebook and Threads, reported in January that it had removed 550,000 accounts believed to belong to under-16s in Australia across its platforms. The company urged the Australian government to reconsider its decision, warning that teenagers will still find ways to access social media without the safeguards registered users receive.
Reddit has launched a legal challenge against Australia’s ban, arguing the law is ineffective and limits political discussion. Technology companies have expressed concerns that age verification requirements could create privacy risks and technical challenges while potentially limiting legitimate access.
