The Spanish government announced plans Monday to ban social media access for individuals under the age of 16, a move Prime Minister Keir Starmer described as a necessary step to protect children from online harms. The initiative, unveiled as part of a broader crackdown on tech firms, will require platforms to implement “strict age verification tools,” according to a government statement.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez first mooted the possibility of a ban in November, but details of the legislation were fleshed out on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai. Sánchez stated that the changes were intended to shield children from what he termed the “digital Wild West,” citing concerns about addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence.
The proposed legislation extends beyond a simple age restriction. It also seeks to hold social media executives criminally liable for failing to remove illegal or harmful content from their platforms. New rules will sanction individuals and platforms that amplify illegal content, including through algorithmic manipulation, turning such actions into a criminal offense. “Spreading hate must come at a cost,” Sánchez said.
The ban follows Australia’s implementation of a similar measure in December 2025, barring access to platforms including Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and X for users under 16. France, Denmark, and the United Kingdom are also considering national age limits for social media access. The UK government has launched a consultation on a potential ban for under-16s, while France and Denmark have recently announced plans to stop under-15s accessing social media.
The Spanish government also intends to address the addictive nature of social media platforms. Sánchez added that the government will “bring new powers that will give us the ability to crack down on the addictive elements of social media, stop the auto-play, the never-ending scrolling, that keeps are children hooked on their screens for hours, and stop kids getting around age limits.”
Social media companies have expressed concerns about the feasibility and effectiveness of such bans, arguing they could isolate vulnerable teenagers. Reddit is currently challenging Australia’s ban in the High Court. The Spanish government acknowledged the challenges of age verification, stating that new laws would require “effective age verification systems, not just check boxes, but real barriers that work,” referencing loopholes exploited by Australian children to bypass existing checks.
The legislative process in Spain is expected to begin next week. A government spokesperson indicated that the measures also include developing a “hate and polarization footprint,” a system designed to track and quantify the role of digital platforms in fueling division and amplifying hate speech.
The government has also promised a consultation with tech firms to discuss how to best safeguard children, focusing on measures like setting a minimum age limit for social media and restricting features like infinite scrolling.
