Hundreds of thousands of Spanish teenagers could be blocked from using social media as the Spanish government launches a major crackdown. It is all part of a plan to safeguard young people from the dangers of social media and is similar to the system which already exists in Australia. The government is planning to raise the age for social media use to 16.
To police these new safeguards, Spain is introducing an electronic age verification system. Users must verify their identity to access sensitive content online. This system has caused controversy over privacy concerns.
The government calculates that up to 700,000 young people could be hit by the new law which has caused some controversy, especially amongst young people.
The Spanish police are always warning young people about social media and the need to be extra careful. Specialist officers visit school to give talks to teenagers.
Other than the age limit, the law also calls for parental control systems on all telphones sold in Spain, allowing blocks on porn, gambling, or violent content, plus time limits. Current platforms like Instagram and Tinder rely on self-reported birthdates, which, of course, are easily faked. Experts from ANAR, Save the Children, and UNICEF contributed to the 2024 bill’s drafting.