Spain announced this week that it would tighten its social media laws, aiming to ban access for children under the age of 16 as part of a global tide against electronic platforms.
Last year, Australia became the first country to restrict social media for children, while French lawmakers voted to follow suit last month. So far, the UK, Denmark, Norway, Greece and India are considering similar moves, while German lawmakers are considering a digital law to contain the anti-competitive behaviour of global digital platforms.
There is growing evidence of the harmful effects of social media on children, including depression, anxiety, stress and cyberbullying – alongside evidence that digital platforms such as X are influencing political outcomes by manipulating content and algorithms.
“First, we will change the law in Spain to hold platform executives legally accountable for many infringements taking place on their sites,” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Tuesday.
“This means that CEOs of these techno platforms will face criminal liability for failing to remove illegal or hateful content,” said Sanchez.
“Second, we will turn algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new criminal offence,” he added. “No more hiding behind code. No more pretending technology is neutral.
“Third, we will implement a hate and polarization footprint system to track, quantify, and expose how digital platforms fuel division and amplify hate. For too long, hate has been treated as invisible and untraceable, but we will change that.”
Sanchez added that Spain “will ban access to social media for minors under the age of 16” and platforms“will be required to implement effective age verification systems”.
“Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone. A space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation… we will protect them from a digital wild west.”
“Fifth and last, my government will work with our public prosecutor to investigate and pursue the infringement committed by Grok, TikTok, and Instagram. We will have zero tolerance and protect our digital sovereignty against foreign coercion.”
Elon Musk, the owner of social media platform X, responded by describing Sanchez as “dirty” and a “tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain
However, X faces global probes after it emerged that the platform’s AI chatbot, Grok, is generating deepfake pornography, including involving children.
Australia provides global example
Australia’s ban on social media for children aged 15 and under came into effect on 10 December last year. It affects platforms including Tiktok, X, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat and Threads.
While children and their parents are not sanctioned for breaking the ban, the Australian government will impose heavy fines on companies that allow children to have accounts.
Days before the ban came into effect, Meta – owner of Facebook, Instagram and Threads – said it had deleted about 550,000 accounts.
A representative survey of children aged 10-15 commissioned by the Australian government in 2024/5 found that 96% used social media, and that 71% had experienced harmful content.
“This included exposure to misogynistic or hateful material, dangerous online challenges, violent fight videos, and content promoting disordered eating and suicide,” according to a media release on the survey.
One in seven children reported experiencing online “grooming” from adults or children at least four years older, which included being asked questions about their private parts or to share nude images.
Growing evidence of harms to children
Meanwhile, global evidence keeps growing of the negative effects of social media use – particularly on the developing brains of children.
A scoping review of multiple studies published last year in PubMed linked social media to bullying, and prolonged use to depression, anxiety, and stress.
The review notes the “alarming” increase in mental health disorders among youth and adolescents, particularly “anxiety, depression, attention deficit, hyper-reactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, and body dysmorphic disorder”.
“One contributing factor that has received growing attention is the role of social media and technology in shaping adolescent brain development, behaviour, and emotional well-being,” the researchers note.
“While digital platforms provide opportunities for social connection, self-expression, and mental health support, they also introduce significant risks, including compulsive social media use, cyberbullying, unrealistic beauty standards, and exposure to substance-related content.”
A meta-analysis of 143 studies involving over one million adolescents, published in JAMA Pediatrics in 2024, found “a positive and significant meta-correlation between time spent on social media and mental health symptoms”, particularly depression and anxiety.
