The measure aligns the country with other European and international initiatives to contain the impact of social media on children and hate speech
Spain will ban social networks for children under 16 and require platforms to adopt strict age verification tools, joining Australia, France and Denmark in measures to curb the influence of digital platforms on children.
“Our children are exposed to a space that was never intended to be navigated alone. A space of dependence, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence,” said Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, this Tuesday. “We will no longer accept this, we will protect them from the digital wild west.”
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Sánchez announced that his Government will also introduce new laws to hold social media executives criminally responsible for not removing illegal or hateful content.
The new rules will also sanction people and platforms that amplify illegal content, including through algorithms. “We will transform algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new crime,” he said. “Spreading hate has to come at a cost.”
The legislative process will begin next week. Other proposed measures include the development of a “hate and polarization footprint,” Sánchez explained, a system to monitor and quantify how digital platforms fuel division and amplify hate.
In December, it became the first country in the world to implement a social media ban for under-16s, blocking access to 10 platforms, including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X. The United Kingdom is considering a similar measure, while and recently announced plans to block access to social media for under-15s.
French President Emmanuel Macron said last month he intended to speed up the legal process to ensure the ban is in place before the start of the new academic year in September.
Other European countries are also taking a tougher stance towards social media companies. Sánchez said Spain joined five other European countries “committed to applying stricter, faster and more effective social media regulation.” He did not identify the countries, but explained that the group will hold its first meeting in the coming days, with the aim of coordinating the application of rules across borders.
“This is a battle that goes far beyond the borders of any country”, he concluded.
