The Spanish government has issued a defiant message to Silicon Valley, confirming it will push ahead with stringent new legislation designed to make social networks and Artificial Intelligence (AI) demonstrably safer.
Speaking exclusively to Reuters, Spain's Digital Transformation Minister, Óscar López, said the government viewed the current digital landscape as fundamentally unsustainable.
"The profit of four tech companies cannot come at the expense of the rights of millions," López stated bluntly.
He acknowledged that "powerful voices" from the tech sector were aggressively lobbying against proposed national and European regulations aimed at restricting high-risk AI systems and forcing social media companies to disclose how their engagement algorithms operate.
López's stance closely echoed that of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. On Tuesday, von der Leyen confirmed the Commission was targeting "addictive and harmful design practices" engineered by social media firms, which will face tighter regulation under the bloc's upcoming Digital Fairness Act.
Spain is part of a growing international trend towards stronger protections for minors online.
In February, Spain announced plans to ban social media use by teenagers. The bill, currently moving through parliament, also includes a controversial provision that would hold tech executives personally liable for hate speech published on their platforms.
The move drew swift criticism from tech billionaires, including X owner Elon Musk. Musk used his platform to accuse Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez of being a "tyrant" and a "totalitarian" for attempting to regulate online speech and access.
Despite Madrid's national efforts, López stressed that Spain's long-term goal was a unified European framework for regulating tech companies.
He argued that tougher rules would be easier to enforce across a bloc of more than 400 million people than through fragmented national approaches that large technology firms could exploit.
The minister warned supporters of a deregulated tech sector that they would eventually regret defending what he described as "the law of the jungle".
López linked the urgency of the reforms to growing concerns over cyberbullying, algorithmic sexual harassment, and the rise of AI-generated sexual deepfakes targeting children, particularly girls.
He described the psychological impact on minors as a "mental health pandemic".
Spain has positioned itself as one of Europe's strongest advocates for what López called "trustworthy AI". He said Europe's future AI model must prioritise privacy, democratic integrity, child protection and public safety over speed and corporate profit.
When asked whether authorities should have the power to identify people using pseudonyms online to commit crimes or harassment, López said anonymity should never shield individuals from legal responsibility.
"What isn't legal in the real world cannot be legal in the virtual world," López concluded. "Full stop."
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