The conflict is escalating between the governments of European countries, and the large digital platforms, focusing on the protection of the Internet. This week, it announced its intention to ban the use of social media by children under 16, sparking strong backlash from tech luminaries including X owner, , and Telegram founder Pavel Durov.
The debate, however, goes beyond Spanish borders. for minors under the age of 15, while several European countries are moving in the same direction, forming what Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, calls a “coalition of the digitally ready.”
The Spanish plan: end social media before 16
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Pedro Sánchez called social media a “digital Wild West”, announcing that Spain would move forward, on the one hand, to ban access to social networks for children under the age of 16 with the mandatory implementation of reliable mechanisms for verifying the user’s age, and on the other hand, to stricter the liability of companies for harmful or illegal content by rendering even criminal liability for company executives who fail to remove hazardous material.
The Sanchez government argues that unchecked exposure of minors to algorithmically enhanced content of violence, sexuality, misinformation or hate speech has become a public health problem. The data reinforces the concern: according to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, more than 90% of young people in Spain have an account on social networks, while a significant percentage of children and adolescents show symptoms of anxiety, addiction and depression, which are linked to excessive use of the Internet.
The angry response to Big Tech
The reaction of the technological giants was immediate and particularly aggressive. , while Pavel Durov accused the Spanish government of trying to turn Spain into a “police state”.
The Spanish government responded that “citizens cannot live in a world where foreign tech oligarchs bombard phones with propaganda every time a democratic government attempts to protect minors.”
European support
The European Commission, although not fully adopting all of Spain’s proposals as well as its “solidarity” in Spain’s effort.
At the European level, from February 2024, the Digital Services Act (DSA) applies, which obliges major platforms to protect minors and limit harmful algorithmic practices.
At the same time, a group of countries is moving towards national regulations, with different age limits: Portugal is also discussing a limit of 16 years, Denmark and Greece 15, while Britain is also considering similar measures. In 2023, France adopted a law stating that children under the age of 15 must obtain parental consent before they can open accounts on social networks. However, French media reports that technical difficulties have hindered the implementation of the law.
So far, the European Commission has rejected the possibility of EU-wide digital age enforcement because, as defined by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), this remains the exclusive national competence of member states.
The Australian experiment: how it works in practice
Australia became the first country to implement a blanket ban on social media use by children under 16 late last year, and platforms now face hefty fines if they don’t remove relevant users.
According to the BBC, it is estimated that within the first few months of implementation, around 4.7 million minors’ accounts were deleted. Apparently some teenagers are finding ways around the ban, via VPNs, but authorities say even a partial reduction in exposure significantly reduces the risk.
The -controversial to many- logic, as experts explain, is the same as restrictions on alcohol or cigarettes: they do not completely eliminate use, but reduce mass access.
