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Date Published: 03/02/2026

Spain vows to follow Australia and ban social media for under 16s

Spanish president Pedro Sánchez says he will protect children and young people "from the digital Wild West"

Spain is set to ban under 16s from accessing social media and will require platforms to implement age verification systems, President of the Government Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday February 3.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, President Sánchez declared that Spanish children are "exposed to a space they should never have navigated alone" and vowed that the government would no longer accept it. He urged other European countries to follow suit with similar measures.

The government has repeatedly raised concerns about the proliferation of hate speech, pornography and disinformation on social media and their negative effects on young people.

"We will protect them from the digital Wild West," Mr Sánchez said.

At the end of March last year, the Council of Ministers approved a draft law for the protection of minors in the digital sphere. Among a wide range of measures, it raises the minimum age in Spain for opening a social media account or subscribing to any platform from 14 to 16.

Under 16s will only be able to access social media with explicit authorisation from their parents or legal guardians, according to the draft law the government will now try to pass.

The government also plans to discuss with the Public Prosecutor's Office ways to investigate possible legal violations by companies including Grok, TikTok and Instagram.

Last December, Australia became the first country to ban social media for those under 16. The measure is being closely watched by other nations considering similar age-based restrictions, including the UK and France.

The proposed Spanish law is likely to face significant pushback from both tech companies and parents who question whether the state should impose such restrictions on family decisions about technology use.

Image: Freepik