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 (4 February) 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.
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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Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Sunday (8 February) he was in favour of banning the use of social media by children under 15 of age, as a growing number of European countries consider similar restrictions.
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.
Türkiye is considering draft legislation that would prohibit children under the age of 15 from opening social-media accounts, Family and Social Services Minister Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş has said.
The year 2025 marked a global first in social media regulation, as Australia enacted the world’s first blanket ban on social media usage for children under 16 years old.
U.S. President Donald Trump has criticised American freestyle skier Hunter Hess after the athlete said he felt conflicted about representing the United States at the Winter Olympics in Italy, sparking a public clash that highlights growing political tensions surrounding the Games.
U.S. skiing great Lindsey Vonn underwent surgery in an Italian hospital on Sunday after her attempt to win Olympic downhill gold ended in a violent crash just seconds into the race at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
Several avalanches struck northern Italy on Saturday, killing at least three people, as rescue officials warned the death toll could rise with unstable conditions persisting across the Alps.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner visited the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea on Saturday after completing a round of talks with Iran.
Russian forces attacked Ukraine’s energy infrastructure overnight on Saturday, marking the second such strike in less than a week, according to Ukrainian authorities.
Pressure is mounting on UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer amid resignations and a row over Peter Mandelson, a powerful figure in the ruling Labour Party. The episode has raised doubts about Starmer’s authority and how firmly his own party continues to back him.
Chinese authorities have quietly signalled a shift in strategy, instructing some state-owned banks to rein in their purchases of U.S. government bonds.
Convicted Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell refused to answer questions before Congress, while her lawyer said she could clear President Donald Trump of wrongdoing if granted clemency.
Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari has accused Afghanistan’s authorities of fostering conditions “similar to or worse than pre-9/11”, as tensions between the two neighbours intensify amid a surge in militant attacks inside Pakistan.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has called on Prime Minister Keir Starmer to step down, saying that “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
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