Photo by Spain is the latest country to address what officials see as an increasing threat to the well-being of young people, after revealing plans on Tuesday to prohibit anyone under the age of sixteen from using social media.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez revealed the decision during a speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai. He used vivid detail to illustrate the challenges that today’s youth encounter when using the internet.
“Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. A space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, and violence,” Sánchez told attendees. “We will no longer accept that, we will protect them from the digital Wild West.”
Executives face criminal charges under new law
In order to prevent minors from using their platforms, the Spanish government plans to mandate that businesses employ robust age verification mechanisms. Spain now joins France, Denmark, and Australia, all of whom have recently made similar declarations.
However, Spain takes a more comprehensive approach than most. Leaders of social media companies would be held criminally liable under the proposed law if they did not remove offensive or unlawful content from their websites.
The European Union’s Digital Services Act mainly relies on fines against corporations, up to 6% of their worldwide revenue. Spain wants to go beyond that.
Under the Spanish bill, top managers could face criminal charges if their platform “persistently and seriously” doesn’t remove illegal material or deliberately uses computer algorithms to spread harmful content. Spanish lawmakers say this represents the only way to make billion-dollar corporations prioritize child safety over profits.
The government will start the law-making process next week. Other ideas include building a “hate and polarization footprint”, a system to measure and track how digital platforms increase division and spread hatred.
Sánchez said the government would create a new crime focused on how platforms use algorithms. “We will turn algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new criminal offense,” he explained. “Spreading hate must come at a cost.”
The plan would punish both individuals and companies that boost illegal material, including through automated recommendation systems.
Experts who study child development say these new rules address a real crisis. Dr. Elena Rojas, who works as a child psychologist, noted that social media wasn’t designed with young brains in mind.
“The digital world was not built with a child’s neurological development in mind,” she said.
Studies show that constant social media use is connected to higher levels of worry, problems with body image, and trouble sleeping among Spanish teenagers. Some professionals worry that banning access completely might cut kids off from helpful online communities. However, many agree that the way platforms are built to keep users hooked requires government action for health reasons, not just political ones.
Major tech firms have already expressed strong opposition to the plan. Groups representing big platforms say such bans can’t really work and might violate people’s rights to access information.
Sánchez said Spain has partnered with five other European countries “committed to enforcing stricter, faster and more effective regulation of social media.” He didn’t name which countries, but said the group would meet soon to coordinate enforcement across borders.
“This is a battle that far exceeds the boundaries of any country,” he said
