Reacción a "Pedro Sánchez announces that Spain will ban children under 16 from accessing social media"

What Pedro Sánchez announced today leaves too many questions unanswered. These are far-reaching proposals (legal, technical and social), but without knowing the regulatory texts, it is difficult to assess them.

In any case, the attempt to demand real accountability from digital platforms and their algorithms is, in principle, good news. However, the key will be in the mechanisms: how the algorithms are audited, who does it, with what technical criteria and with what legal guarantees.

On the other hand, combating hate speech is necessary and has an obvious democratic basis. The problem arises with the questions it raises: who decides what is hate speech and what is not? With what criteria? And under what controls? This opens up a delicate area where the line between protecting rights and limiting freedom of expression can become blurred. Therefore, we will have to see what mechanisms are proposed.

Finally, there is not much information about the ban on social media for children under 16. It seems that the approach of delegating responsibility to platforms follows the Australian model. The information we have about what has happened in Australia is that the system is not working as successfully as was assumed. The law has been criticised for not regulating other areas (such as online betting) and for the haste with which it was drafted. The Australian Psychological Society declined to make any contributions due to the short deadline given. We will have to see what approach Spain takes.

In Australia, the obligation falls on the platforms, which must prevent access by minors through age verification (which seems to be what is being considered in Spain). There, the rule affects apps such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, X, YouTube, Reddit, Twitch, Kick and Threads, which have to block minors under 16 or face fines of millions of pounds. It does not affect other applications such as WhatsApp or Telegram. Once the law was implemented, young people began using various strategies to get around the ban. They use VPNs, AI applications to ‘age’ themselves, or simply use a photo of their parents. One of the main complaints is that young people have not been heard throughout the process.

I think it is important to note that, reviewing the scientific literature, there is no consensus that social media itself causes mental health problems. The APA indicates that social media use is not inherently beneficial or harmful to young people and that the effects of social media depend on what adolescents can do and see online, their pre-existing strengths or vulnerabilities, and the contexts in which they grow up. This does not mean that social media is a safe or appropriate space for children, but rather that establishing a debate or regulation based solely on age is insufficient.

What we do know works is regulation combined with education, and that has not been addressed in today's announcement. There is no proposal for educational measures to accompany these regulations. Adequate civic and educational training is necessary. We know that regulation based solely on age does not usually work and that a sudden disconnection from these spaces can also cause problems. It is particularly worrying that adolescents who depend on social networks to connect and express themselves, and who use these media for inclusion, end up in unregulated digital spaces, where there is even less protection.

Let us remember that in Spain the age is set at 14 years old and yet there are still minors under that age on the platforms. While we wait to see the specific content of the proposals and their regulatory development, it is advisable to maintain a cautious and critical view. The regulation of digital platforms and the protection of children and adolescents in the digital environment is a complex challenge that does not allow for simple solutions based solely on age. It will be necessary to wait and see how the measures develop, what their real scope is and what guarantees they provide before we can judge their viability and possible effects.