Mexico to require digital platforms to shield minors from harmful content

​Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said she will sign ​a presidential decree on Wednesday requiring ‌digital platforms, ​including social media and streaming sites, to shield children and teenagers from violent, sexual and other harmful content.

The decree, which will step up ‌scrutiny of big technology companies in Latin America's second-largest economy, comes after an attack by two 18-year-old former students on a high school in the northern state of Coahuila in early October left one person dead and ‌wounded three others. Digital platforms will have one month to come into compliance with the decree, government ‌adviser Luisa Maria Alcalde said.

Sheinbaum added that if companies failed to follow the decree, the government would back a bill to penalize the platforms. Officials said they had already met with representatives of Meta, Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei to discuss ⁠the matter.

A ​Meta spokesperson told Reuters ⁠that the company, which runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, is "aware of the decree" and that it will "analyze it in detail," ⁠adding that it has long had tools in place to help parents "guide their children's digital experience.” "We will continue to ​engage with the authorities to help create a safer digital environment for teenagers in the country,” ⁠the spokesperson said, adding that Meta offers safety features on its platforms which include safeguards to limit who can make contact with ⁠children, ​as well as the monitoring of viewed content.

Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Mexico's move follows a broader global push to protect minors ⁠online, with governments in Europe and Australia tightening oversight of digital platforms and US states pursuing a range ⁠of child-safety measures.

Brazil has ⁠also moved to strengthen protections for children online. Such measures have raised questions over how to protect minors while safeguarding privacy and freedom of expression.