Spain and Greece join the global offensive: They will prohibit social networks for minors

The “digital wild west” has its days numbered in Europe. Following in the footsteps of Australia, Spain and Greece have announced drastic measures to prohibit adolescents’ access to social networks, marking a precedent in the regulation of Big Tech.

The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, took advantage of his intervention at the World Government Summit in Dubai to issue a clear warning: “Our children are exposed to a space in which they should never navigate alone. We are no longer going to accept it.”

AT WHAT AGE WILL THE BAN APPLY?

The European offensive seeks to establish clear age limits to protect the mental health and development of minors:

• Spain: The Government seeks to prohibit access to minors under 16 years of age.
• Greece: Prepares a similar restriction for children under 15 years of age.
• France: A law is already being processed for the 15-year limit.
• United Kingdom: Analyzes implementing measures after observing the results of the Australian model.

THE “COALITION OF THE DIGITALLY WILLING”

So that these measures do not remain a dead letter, Spain has promoted an alliance with five other European countries under the name “Coalition of the Digitally Willing.” The goal is to coordinate cross-border regulation and ensure that technology platforms comply with local laws.

Key points of the new legislation in Spain:

1. Criminal liability: Social media executives could be personally liable for hate speech.
2. Actual verification: Age validation systems that go beyond a simple checkbox will be required.
3. Algorithm crime: Algorithmic manipulation that amplifies illegal content will be criminalized.
4. Focus on AI: Specific research on tools such as Grok AI (by Elon Musk) for the generation of sensitive content.

THE IMPACT OF AI AND THE AUSTRALIA MODEL

The urgency of these laws responds to the explosion of content generated by Artificial Intelligence, including non-consensual sexual images of minors.

The reference is Australia, where the ban is already a reality. In its first weeks of operation, the platforms deactivated almost 5 million adolescent accounts, demonstrating that the measure has a massive and radical impact on the digital ecosystem.

PUBLIC OPINION: WHAT DO CITIZENS SAY?

Social support for these measures is high. According to Ipsos data:

• 82% of Spaniards support banning social networks for children under 14 years of age.
• In 2024, support was 73%, showing growing social concern.

Despite the consensus on child safety, voices from parties such as Vox have pointed out that these measures could be used as a form of “censorship” to control the official narrative on the internet.