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.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in p...
Uzbekistan and Russia have agreed to deepen cooperation in agriculture, energy and food security following high-level meetings held during the St Pete...
Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday that the U.S. would bear direct responsibility for any escalation in West Asia a...
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedric...
Four Palestinians, including an eight-year-old boy, were killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Monday (8 June), according to local health officials...
Greece will ban access to social media for children under 15 from 1 January 2027, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday, citing rising anxiety, sleep problems and the addictive design of online platforms.
The French Senate has approved a proposal to limit social media access for children under 15, as concerns grow over online harms.
The Australian government has threatened to go to court in a bid to sue social media giants for allegedly flouting a ban on under-16s, as its internet regulator disclosed it is investigating some of the biggest platforms for suspected non-compliance with the world-first measure.
Austria’s government on Friday approved plans to introduce a nationwide ban on social media use for children under the age of 14, alongside reforms to upper secondary school curricula aimed at boosting media literacy and Artificial Intelligence (AI) education from the 2027/28 academic year.
Counting is underway in Armenia's elections. The results of the vote are set to determine the political direction of the country of three million people for the next few years. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is hoping to fend off challenges from several pro-Russia candidates to secure a third term.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's Civil Contract party has won the Armenian elections, picking up nearly half the vote. With a majority in parliament, Pashinyan is set for a third term as Prime Minister. But an opposition politican has said he will challenge the election results.
Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry has confirmed the number of casualties its citizens suffered as a result of the 5 June drone attacks on the cargo ships Natra and Zircon in the Sea of Azov. In a statement, it said four Azerbaijani citizens were killed and four others were injured.
The results of Armenia’s parliamentary elections will determine the makeup of the National Assembly and shape the country's political direction for the foreseeable future. But in Armenia, the final result is not decided by vote percentages alone. Here's how it works.
For about three decades after the Soviet collapse, Armenia anchored its foreign and security policy to Moscow.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for high-level talks in Westminster focused on ending the war in Ukraine.
A French Rafale fighter jet shot down a drone that entered Latvian airspace from Russia on Monday (8 June), triggering security alerts and renewing concerns about the impact of the war in Ukraine on NATO's eastern flank.
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Monday (8 June) for a rare summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, receiving a grand welcome as he described relations between the two countries as being at a "new historical starting point".
Football fans of all ages gathered in Miami Beach for a World Cup sticker trading event, exchanging duplicates and comparing Panini albums as they prepared for the tournament's opening match.
A city north of Tokyo has suspended classes at all 94 of its primary and middle schools after its first-ever reported bear sighting, amid growing concern over increasing encounters between bears and people across Japan.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment