Spain is preparing to ban children under 16 from using social media, following Australia's lead, stating it is to protect children from the harmful environment online.
Foreign news agencies report that the Spanish government is set to begin the process of banning social media use for children under 16 and will require platforms to enforce strict identity verification, following the examples of Australia, France, and Denmark to control the influence of online media on children.
"Our children are being left to face spaces they should not confront alone, spaces filled with addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, and violence," said Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday (3 Feb 2026) at the World Government Summit (WGS) in Dubai.
Sánchez also stated that his government will propose new legislation to criminally prosecute social media executives who fail to remove illegal or hateful content. "We will no longer tolerate this. We will protect them from the lawless digital realm."
The new regulations will penalize both individuals and platforms that help spread awareness of illegal content, including through algorithms. "We will classify algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content as a new criminal offense," he said. "The spread of hate must come with consequences."
The legislative process will begin next week. Sánchez noted that other measures will be introduced, including developing a "hate and polarization index," a system to monitor and quantitatively assess how digital platforms fuel division and expand hatred.
Last December, Australia became the first country in the world to enforce a ban on social media for children under 16, suspending access to 10 major platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X. Meanwhile, the UK is considering similar measures.
France and Denmark have also recently announced plans to block social media access for children under 15, but the legislative process has not yet been completed.
. International news coverage:https://www.thairath.co.th/news/foreign
Source:cnn