Spain Bans Social Media for Under-16s with Age Verification Mandate

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced a ban on social media access for under-16s, mandating effective age-verification systems on digital platforms. The proposal, part of a broader package to combat online abuses and promote safer spaces, is due for approval by the Council of Ministers next week.

Sánchez presented the measure Tuesday at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, addressing around 30 heads of state and government. He positioned it alongside four other initiatives: holding platform executives civilly or criminally liable for failing to remove hate speech or illegal content; partnering with prosecutors to investigate platforms like Grok, TikTok, and Instagram to protect digital sovereignty; criminalizing algorithm manipulation and the amplification of illegal material; and establishing a tracking system for hate speech and polarization. He criticized tech companies for enabling child sexual abuse material and non-consensual AI-generated sexualized images, urging governments to intervene. "Our children are exposed to a space they should never have navigated alone. We will no longer accept this," he stated, vowing to restore social media to its original promise. Spain has joined five other European countries in the Coalition of Digital Volunteers to pursue stricter, coordinated platform regulation.

Andorra's government, under Head of Government Xavier Espot, has been working intensively on an identical under-16 restriction since last autumn, predating Sánchez's announcement. Government spokesperson Guillem Casal, speaking after a Council of Ministers meeting, stressed that the move aligns with growing international sensitivity in Spain and France but is not new to Andorra. Officials are revising the Qualified Law on the Rights of Children and Adolescents to strengthen digital protections, alongside Penal Code updates led by Minister Ester Molné to address online harms that could constitute crimes.

Casal distinguished between recommendations—such as those from the Digital Wellbeing Centre—and enforceable bans. "If there is a prohibition, it must be controllable and sanctionable if not respected," he said. "There is no worse remedy than introducing a ban that cannot be controlled." No draft bill is ready yet, as authorities assess local enforcement feasibility and alarming trends. Discussions continue in the Education legislative commission, involving executive and parliamentary groups, with momentum from neighboring countries likely to accelerate practical reforms.