Spain and Greece propose banning social media for children under 16
Kyiv • UNN
Spain and Greece propose banning teenagers from using social media, following Australia's example. This decision is part of the tightening regulation of social media in Europe.
On Tuesday, Spain and Greece proposed banning social media for teenagers, as criticism intensifies in Europe against technologies that some experts believe are designed to be addictive and can expose children to harmful content. Reuters reports, writes UNN.
Details
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said his country wants to ban social media for children under 16. Greece is close to announcing a similar ban for children under 15, a source in senior government circles said.
They join countries like the UK and France, which are considering stricter regulation of social media, after Australia in December became the first country to ban access to platforms for children under 16.
Governments and regulators worldwide are assessing the impact of screen time on children's development and mental health.
Our children have found themselves in a space they should never have to navigate alone... We will no longer accept this. We will protect them from the digital Wild West
Sánchez stated that his government would develop a law making social media executives personally responsible for the spread of hate speech on their platforms.
Representatives from X, Google (part of Alphabet), TikTok, Snapchat, and Meta have not yet responded to requests for comment on Spain's proposed measures.
Australia's ban "leaves significant gaps that could undermine its goals," including limitations in age verification technology and users migrating to unregulated messaging apps, Snapchat said on Monday.
Spain joins five other European countries that Sánchez called the "Coalition of Digitally Responsible" to coordinate and implement regulation that extends beyond a single state. The first meeting of this group is scheduled for the coming days.
Sánchez announced that prosecutors would explore ways to investigate possible offenses by Elon Musk's Grok, as well as TikTok and Instagram (Meta).
The proposed ban will be implemented as part of amendments to the existing Digital Protection of Minors Bill, currently under discussion in parliament, a government official said.
About 82% of Spaniards believe that children under 14 should be banned from using social media, according to an Ipsos survey in 30 countries published last August. In comparison, 73% of respondents supported this view in 2024.