Spain's New Age Barrier: Social Media Access Banned for Minors

Spain is set to ban social media access for those under 16, implementing age verification systems, as announced by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The government aims to curb the spread of harmful content and hold social media executives accountable for illegal content and algorithmic manipulation.

Spain is making waves with its latest move to protect minors by banning social media access for those under 16, as revealed by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The action springs from the government's desire to create a safer digital ecosystem amid concerns over hate speech, explicit content, and misinformation.

Addressing the World Government Summit in Dubai, Sanchez emphasized the need to shield young people from navigating these treacherous digital waters alone. He urged other European nations to take similar steps to safeguard their youth, referencing Australia, which led the way with a comparable ban.

In a broader scope, the Spanish government will soon introduce legislation to make social media executives answerable for hate-speech and illegal content. This legislation will also tackle algorithmic manipulation, and prosecutors may begin probing high-profile platforms like Elon Musk's Grok, TikTok, and Instagram for any violations.

(With inputs from agencies.)