Spain is the most recent European government to say it will prohibit social media for kids under 16.”We will protect them from the digital Wild West,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez declared on Tuesday at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
The restriction is part of several measures that still need to be approved by Parliament. One of these changes is that company executives will be held liable for “illegal or harmful content” on their platforms.
Last year, Australia was the first country in the world to put a ban in place. Other countries watched and judged how well it worked. France, Denmark, and Austria have also said they are thinking about setting their own age caps. The UK government has started a discussion about whether or not to make it illegal for those under 16 to do something.
Companies that run social media sites have said the bans would not work, would be hard to implement, and could make teens who are already at risk feel alone. Reddit is fighting Australia’s ban in the High Court.Sánchez added, “Today, our kids are in a space they were never meant to navigate alone.” He called social media a site of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, and violence.
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