Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that Spain will ban users under the age of 16 from accessing social media, and that platforms will be required to “implement effective age verification systems, not just checkboxes, but real barriers that work”. He further called social media “a space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, (and) violence” during a speech at the World Government Summit in Dubai.
Sánchez said the government will enshrine the proposed prohibition in Spanish law and pair it with broader reforms to hold social media executives accountable for illegal and hateful content, including measures to criminalise algorithmic manipulation that amplifies such material. Furthermore, he likened social media to a “failed state” that governments can no longer ignore, and stressed the need to protect children from harmful and illegal material proliferating on these platforms.
His announcement comes amid a growing global trend of regulators seeking to curb minors’ access to social media. A Reuters report quoted sources saying Greece is also planning a similar ban on social media use for children under 15.
Spain’s move follows the world’s first comprehensive under-16 social media ban in Australia, where the Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Act 2024 took effect on December 10, 2025. Under that law, social media platforms are required to prevent users under 16 from creating or holding accounts on social media services, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Reddit, X, YouTube, and others. Additionally, penalties for non-compliance can go up to $32.5 million.
Indian States Planning Similar Bans
Indian states are now exploring social media restrictions for under-16s, following global developments. In Andhra Pradesh, the state government has formed a Group of Ministers (GoM) chaired by IT and Education Minister Nara Lokesh to study whether to restrict or ban access to social media for children below 16. The panel will examine existing Indian laws and international models, like Australia’s ban, before submitting its recommendations to the government.
Meanwhile, in Goa, the state’s Tourism and IT Minister Rohan Khaunte has said officials are studying Australia’s under-16 ban to assess whether a similar approach is legally and practically feasible in the state. The ministry has not yet taken a formal decision but plans to discuss the matter further with the chief minister and, if possible, bring forward proposals before the next Legislative Assembly session.
Will banning social media for children be effective?
MediaNama founder Nikhil Pahwa writes that banning children from social media avoids the real problem, because states are focusing on restricting access rather than addressing how platforms are built and operated. He explains that social media platforms are “optimised for high engagement, and getting us addicted” and that they now focus on…
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