Andorra Prosecutor Urges Age Limits on Social Media, Video Platforms, AI to Fight Digital Violence

### Andorran Prosecutor's Office Calls for Minimum Age Limits on Social Media, Video Platforms, and AI to Combat Digital Violence

Andorra's deputy public prosecutor Roser Mazón has urged the establishment of a minimum age for access to social media, video-sharing platforms, and AI tools, framing it as essential to protect children's physical and mental wellbeing amid rising digital violence. Speaking in the General Prosecutor's Office annual report, Mazón called for new laws, including one on digital footprint erasure and another restricting underage access, with reliable age-verification systems that safeguard privacy and hold platforms accountable.

Mazón highlighted digital violence—encompassing cyberbullying, sexting, happy slapping, doxing, and grooming by strangers—as broader than repetitive harassment, often leading to anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem, and dependency. She noted platforms' dual nature: offering connection and popularity for teens, yet exposing them to invisible risks like inappropriate contacts promising friendship or financial gain that escalate to sexual exploitation. While acknowledging benefits alongside harms like isolation or discrimination, she stressed the need for comprehensive responses, including education, victim support, and strict enforcement against non-compliant firms.

This prosecutorial push builds on growing expert concerns over youth social media use in Andorra, where no national minimum age exists beyond platforms' 13-year limit. Digital wellbeing expert Jordi Camós warns that adolescents lack the cognitive maturity to resist attention-capturing designs, such as variable rewards fueling constant anxiety and algorithms deepening dependency during brain development. Sandra Cano, president of the Association for the Defence of Youth at Risk (ADJRA), links overuse to inappropriate content, concentration difficulties, academic struggles, language delays, social isolation, obesity, and postural issues, insisting families share screen-time limits.

Legal specialist Ester Peralba points to inconsistencies, like the 16-year threshold for image or data consent versus 13-year platform access, raising cyberbullying and predation risks. She advocates prohibitions, usage caps, fines, and a 16-year limit, noting EU tools like the Digital Services Act aid action against US firms but Andorra requires its own framework. All experts agree regulation needs parental responsibility and digital education—teaching platform mechanics, spotting misconduct, and reporting—to go beyond "small patches."

Mazón echoed international trends, citing Australia's ID, facial, or voice verification mandates with penalties on platforms, France's push for 15, and EU efforts, while decrying jurisdictional hurdles and platforms preferring fines over content removal. She called for societal vigilance across public administration, judiciary, security, education, and NGOs to detect and prevent harms, balancing rights like privacy and expression with victim protection.