A 13-year-old boy looks at social media on his mobile phone and takes a photo at home in Sydney on December 8, 2025. (Photo by Saeed KHAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Saeed Khan Afp | Getty Images
Spain announced plans to introduce it on Tuesday An Australian-style social media ban As part of a massive crackdown against the tech giant over system failures to protect users under 16 from harm.
Speaking at the World Government Summit in Dubai, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the misbehavior of social media platforms. Sanchez said teenagers under the age of 16 will no longer have access to social media platforms from next week as part of a series of five government measures targeting the platforms.
“Social media has become a failed state, a place where laws are ignored and crime is tolerated, misinformation costs more than truth and half of its users suffer from hate speech,” Sanchez said. “It’s a failed state where algorithms distort public discourse and trade against our data and image.”
He explained that to enforce the ban on under-16s, “platforms will need to implement effective age verification systems – not just tick boxes, but real barriers that work.”
Sánchez added: “Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to walk alone: a space of addiction, violence, pornography, manipulation and violence. We will not accept this anymore. We will protect them from the digital wild west.”
Spain is the first European country to officially ban it Australian Internet Safety Amendment Act entered into force in December.
effectively demanded such platforms Meta Instagram, ByteDance TikTok, Of the alphabet YouTube, Elon Musk’s X and Reddit will introduce age verification measures or be fined A$49.5 million ($32 million) for non-compliance.
Spain has yet to specify which firms will be affected by its new rules, but Sanchez criticized major platforms including TikTok for allowing accounts to share “AI-generated child abuse material”, Elon Musk’s X AI chatbot Grok for “creating illegal sexual content” and Instagram for “spying on millions of other Android users”.
CNBC has reached out to TikTok, X and Instagram about the allegations and is awaiting comment.
Four other Spanish measures aim to create legal liability for executives who fail to remove unregulated or hateful content, and to make “algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content” a new criminal offence.
Sanchez said five other European countries have joined Spain in imposing stricter rules on social media platforms.
The French National Assembly recently voted in favor of the bill limit access to social networks For those under 16, but the bill still needs to be approved by the Senate before it can be officially passed. Similarly, the House of Lords of Great Britain a social media ban For those under 16, but it must first pass the House of Commons for approval.
Tech firms are the answer
While Australia’s social media ban has been scrutinized around the world, Spain’s new announcement suggests more countries will follow suit. This is left big tech companies are stuck.
Meta, the owner of Instagram, Facebook and Threads, said in January that it exists 550,000 accounts deleted platforms are considered to be owned by children under the age of 16 in Australia. He urged the Australian government to reconsider its decision.
“We call on the Australian Government to constructively work with industry to find a better way forward, such as encouraging the entire industry to raise standards in providing a safe, privacy-friendly, age-appropriate experience online,” Meta said.
Meta warned that teenagers are still trying to find ways to access social media apps in other ways without warrants to registered users.
Meanwhile, Reddit launched A legal claim against Australiathe new law is ineffective and restricts political discussion.
“This is a global problem and governments everywhere are under pressure to respond,” says Daisy Greenwell, co-founder. UK based smartphone free childhoodCNBC previously reported. SFC is a grassroots campaign encouraging parents to delay the use of smartphones and social media for children.
“We’re already seeing countries moving in this direction, and more will grow as confidence builds and evidence accumulates. No one thinks the status quo is working for children, parents or society – and that’s one of the most obvious policy responses on the table right now,” added Greenwell.