Spain becomes latest country to announce plans to ban social media for under-16s

Spain has announced plans to ban social media for under-16s.

The country's prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, said that platforms should bring in strong age checks and that children should be protected from harmful online content.

It comes after Australia's government brought in a social media ban for under-16s in December last year, and the UK government says it is also looking into proposals for a ban for under-16s too.

Other European countries such as France, Denmark and Greece have also announced that they are considering their own national age limits for social media.

The proposed social media ban, which still needs to be approved by Spain's parliament, is part of a number of changes that Mr Sanchez wants to see brought in.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, he explained: "Today, our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone.

"We will no longer accept that. We will protect them."

Under the plans, social media platforms would be required to have strong age checks in place.

It would also make social media company bosses responsible for "illegal or harmful content" on their platforms.

Social media companies have argued that the bans would be ineffective and difficult to implement.

Mr Sanchez said he hoped to get the laws passed through Spain's parliament as soon as next week. However that might prove difficult because his coalition government doesn't have a majority in parliament.

In 2025 Australia became the first country in the world to bring in a social media ban for under-16s.

There have been calls for a similar ban to happen in the UK, and the government says it is looking into proposals.

Last month, the education secretary told schools that it is "not appropriate for phones to be used as calculators, or for research during lessons".

The guidance also says teachers should avoid using their own phones in front of pupils too.

Politicians in other European countries such as France, Denmark, Greece and Ireland have also said that they are thinking about following the Australian example.

And in Malaysia, in south-east Asia, leaders have also said that they plan to ban under-16s from having open social media accounts, with new rules planned for 2026.