Spain plans to ban social media for under-16s with age verification

On Feb. 3, 2026, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced at the World Government Summit in Dubai that Spain will ban social media for users under 16 and require platforms to implement "real barriers" for age verification—not just checkboxes. Sanchez also pledged to make tech CEOs face criminal liability for failing to remove illegal or hateful content. Spain would become the first European country to implement such a ban, following Australia's December 2025 law. Sanchez said Spain joined a "coalition of the digitally willing" with five other European countries to coordinate social media regulation. The measures face uncertain passage because Sanchez's left-wing coalition lacks a parliamentary majority.