Children under 16 years of age denied access to social media in Spain
The Spanish government has decided to ban children under the age of 16 from using social media and to oblige platforms to introduce mandatory age verification.
This was stated by the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
According to the head of government, the state can no longer ignore the threats faced by children in the digital environment.
«Our children are in a space where they should never have been alone. We will not tolerate this any longer,» Sanchez said.
What the solution involves
According to the government's initiative:
access to social networks will be prohibited for children under 16 years of age;
online platforms will be obliged to Introduce mandatory age verification;
digital services themselves will be responsible for compliance with the rules;
The following penalties may be imposed for violations of the requirements financial sanctions.
Why Spain took this step
The government emphasises that the decision was made amid an increase in cases:
psychological pressure on children on social media;
cyberbullying;
access of minors to dangerous and inappropriate content;
the formation of dependence on digital platforms.
Spain became one of the first EU countries to introduce such strict restrictions at the legislative level.
European context
Similar initiatives are currently being discussed in other EU countries. Brussels is considering the possibility of unified rules for age verification for social platforms across the EU.
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