Australia's Social Media Ban for Kids Is Really Catching On

Spain is the latest country to follow Australia's lead in moving to ban children from social media. In a Tuesday speech, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced social media platforms operating in Spain will have to install age-verification tools and block those aged 15 and under from having accounts. He referred to social media as "the digital Wild West," citing concerns about addiction, pornography, abuse, manipulation, and violence, and framed it as a bid to "take back control" from tech firms he says are "wealthier and more powerful than many nations—including mine," per the Wall Street Journal.

The planned rules go beyond age limits. Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Sánchez said Spain will hold platform CEOs criminally liable if they fail to remove illegal or hateful content as part of a broader package of digital reforms set to roll out next week. "We will turn algorithmic manipulation and amplification of illegal content into a new criminal offense," Sánchez said, per CNN. "Spreading hate must come at a cost."

He said Spain had joined with five other European countries to push for more effective regulation of social media, but did not name the countries. Only last week, French President Emmanuel Macron threw his support behind a proposed law to ban under-15s from social media and ban mobile phones from schools, as soon as September, per CNN and Politico. Denmark has also said it will limit social media for those under 15, though parents can give permission for access from the age of 13. Malaysia is planning similar restrictions, and New Zealand is now considering them.