Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans to ban social media access for minors under the age of 16 as part of wider efforts to increase regulation of digital platforms. He said the government intends to introduce legislation requiring social media companies to implement age verification systems and hold platform executives criminally liable for distributing illicit content. Sanchez also stated that Spain plans to criminalize the manipulation of algorithms and urged prosecutors to investigate illegal content circulating on social media. He cited alleged cases of child exploitation material being created using artificial intelligence tools and referenced disinformation he said was spread about Spain’s plans to regularize approximately 500,000 migrants.

Sanchez said the proposed bill would be presented the following week and described the initiative as part of efforts to strengthen oversight of social media platforms. He stated that social media companies would be required to comply with national regulations despite their global influence. He also said Spain aims to defend its digital sovereignty from foreign interference and acknowledged that regulating large technology companies may be challenging. Sanchez added that several European countries are coordinating discussions to introduce further regulatory measures targeting social media platforms.

In Greece, a senior government source told Reuters that the country is close to announcing a ban on social media access for children under the age of 15. The statement came alongside Spain’s announcement of its own proposed restrictions. Both countries are considering policies aimed at regulating social media use among minors and increasing accountability for digital platform operators.