Spain to bar social media access for under-16s, PM Sánchez says

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Feb. 3, 2026, at the World Governments Summit in Dubai that Spain plans to bar anyone under the age of 16 from accessing social media, a measure that would require parliamentary approval. The proposed ban is part of a broader package of measures Sánchez said his Socialist-led government will push, including making company executives legally responsible if illegal or hate-related content is not removed and criminalizing the manipulation of algorithms and the amplification of illegal content.

"We will protect them from the digital wild west," Mr. Sánchez said, and he said the goal was to "reassert democratic control over social media." A government spokesman said the change would be introduced by amending a bill on the protection of minors in digital environments that lawmakers are already discussing, raising to 16 the age at which minors can consent to the processing of their personal data.

Minors under that age would only be able to access such content with the permission of their legal guardian, and Mr. Sánchez said platforms would be required to institute effective age-verification systems. The announcement echoed international moves: Australia earlier set 16 as the minimum age for major social services and regulators there said companies had "removed access" to about 4.7 million accounts belonging to children under 16.

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