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The president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, announced this Tuesday that Spain will prohibit access to social media for those under 16 years old and will approve new measures to increase control over digital platforms.
According to the agency EFE, the announcement was made during its intervention at the World Government Summit held in Dubai, with the participation of around thirty heads of state and government.
Sánchez explained that next week, his government will approve a package of measures that will require platforms to implement effective controls and real barriers to prevent minors from accessing certain content.
The president recalled that he had already expressed his intention to hold the executives of these companies accountable and detailed that they will be legally responsible for the violations committed on their networks.
Among the measures, the manipulation of algorithms and the amplification of illegal content will be classified as a crime.
Possible legal violations on platforms such as Grok, TikTok, and Instagram will also be studied in conjunction with the Prosecutor's Office.
Sánchez also announced the creation of a tracking and traceability system that will allow for measuring what he referred to as "a footprint of hatred and polarization."
The president reported that Spain has joined five other European countries in the so-called "Coalition of the Digital Willing," a group that will seek to advance in a coordinated manner towards stricter and faster regulation of social media.
The president justified these measures by stating that the networks have become “a failed state, a place where laws are ignored, crimes are tolerated, and disinformation is worth more than the truth.”
As an example, he mentioned the accusations against TikTok for tolerating AI-generated child pornography, against Instagram for spying on millions of Android users, and against Facebook for facilitating misinformation campaigns and interference in elections.
Sánchez also referred to X's owner, Elon Musk, whom he criticized for having "amplified misinformation about a sovereign decision" of the Spanish government.
The head of the Executive insisted that it is necessary to "regain control" over the platforms and affirmed that Spain will have "zero tolerance" for digital abuses. "Their power should not scare us, because our determination is greater than their wealth," he concluded.
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