Spain Moves to Ban Social Media for Minors Under 16
Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, the Spanish Prime Minister framed the move as essential protection for vulnerable populations in an unregulated digital landscape.
"We will protect them from the wild west of the digital world," he said. "Social networks have become a failed state, where laws are ignored and crimes are tolerated."
The initiative mandates that technology companies implement age-verification systems before granting users access to their services.
Sanchez revealed that Spanish lawmakers will advance legislation within days making platform executives personally subject to criminal prosecution for allowing illegal material to circulate on their networks. He further called on legal authorities to pursue investigations into unlawful content appearing across these services.
Under the proposed framework, algorithmic manipulation would constitute a criminal violation.
"Disinformation does not come out of nowhere," he said.
The Prime Minister referenced specific allegations of criminal conduct, including assertions that the AI system Grok generated child sexual abuse material, while similar content proliferated on additional platforms. He also highlighted false information that Elon Musk, who leads X, allegedly disseminated regarding Spain's initiative to legalize the status of approximately 500,000 immigrants.
"This is only the tip of the iceberg," Sanchez warned. "We are going to defend our digital sovereignty against any foreign interference."
The Spanish leader conceded that compelling platform compliance will prove challenging.
"Social media companies are richer than many countries, including mine, but its power and influence should not frighten us," he said.
Though European Union regulatory efforts are already underway, Sanchez disclosed that a coalition of six European nations seeks more aggressive action and plans imminent discussions on coordinated measures.
"Some will say that if we don't like them, we can just not use them. They're right. For many of us, that is still an option, but for our children and many citizens, it isn't. Social media has become an essential part of their lives," he said. "We have to regain control. We need to ensure these platforms follow the rules like everyone else."
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