Spain and Greece have moved toward banning teenagers from social media as European governments reassess the risks digital platforms pose to children.
Spain and Greece detailed plans on Tuesday for new age-based restrictions on social media, signalling a stronger European shift toward protecting minors online. Spain intends to block access for under-16s, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said.
Sánchez told the World Governments Summit in Dubai that “our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone ... We will no longer accept that,” adding, “We will protect them from the digital Wild West.”
A senior Greek government source said Athens is preparing a similar ban for children under 15, according to Reuters.
The proposals come as governments examine the effects of screen time on children’s development and mental health. Australia introduced a nationwide under-16 ban last year, and legislation to bar under-15s is moving through France’s parliament. Britain is considering similar steps.
Sánchez said Spain will join five other European countries in what he called the “Coalition of the Digitally Willing,” set to coordinate regulation across borders. “We know that this is a battle that far exceeds the boundaries of any country,” he said. His office has not named the participating states.
Companies have begun responding to new global scrutiny. Snapchat said the Australian rules “leave significant gaps that could undermine its goals,” pointing to weak age verification tools and the risk of teenagers moving to unregulated messaging apps.
Sánchez said a new Spanish law would make social media executives personally responsible for hate speech on their platforms. He also said prosecutors would study potential legal infractions involving Elon Musk’s Grok AI system, as well as TikTok and Instagram.
The surge in AI-generated material, and reports that Grok produced non-consensual sexual images including of minors, has intensified debate over risks for younger users.
The proposed ban will be incorporated into amendments to an existing bill on digital protection for minors now being debated in parliament. Supporters say it could help parents enforce limits and reduce pressure on teenagers who fear missing out.
An Ipsos poll last August found that 82% of Spaniards support barring under-14s from social media, up from 73% in 2024.
In Madrid, 19-year-old student Miguel Abad said, “It’s a good measure to encourage children to play with each other and not be on their mobile phones in parks, which I think is terrible, to be honest.” Australia’s regulator said nearly five million teenage accounts were deactivated within weeks of its ban taking effect.
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France’s National Assembly has approved a bill banning access to social media for children under 15, a move backed by President Emmanuel Macron and the government as part of efforts to protect teenagers’ mental and physical health.
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The possibility of restricting social media access for children is a hot topic in the European Union and the United Kingdom, after Australia implemented a world-first ban for those under 16. Lawmakers have labelled the ban a “real-world test” of how far governments can go to protect young people.
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