International Desk, Feb 5 (EFE).- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s proposal to ban minors under the age of 16 from accessing social media was supported on Thursday by several European countries and international organizations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
The Finnish government announced on Thursday that it is preparing legislative changes to restrict access to social media for children under 15, following the example of Spain and other countries.
”We are closely monitoring how preparations are progressing in Denmark, Sweden, and Spain, for example. These countries have in common that their legislation must be compatible with EU legislation,” Finnish Minister of Social Security Sanni Grahn-Laasonen said in a statement.
Australia was the first country to ban the use of social media for children under 16 in December, prompting many European countries to consider adopting similar restrictions to protect children from its harmful effects.
However, according to the Finnish government, a model similar to Australia’s cannot be implemented at the national level in Finland, as regulation of large platforms is the responsibility of the EU.
The Spanish initiative is aligned with France, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and Greece, which are among those that have taken concrete steps, while Portugal announced plans this week to establish age restrictions on these platforms.
The Slovenian government also confirmed the basis for a bill that will ban the use of social media by children under 15, including platforms such as TikTok and Snapchat.
”This has been a hot topic in recent weeks and months around the world and in Europe, and with this, as a government, we are showing that we care about our children,” said Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister Matej Arcon.
The director-general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, agreed on Thursday with the regulation of social media proposed by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, according to a post on his X account.
“I agree with PM Pedro Sanchez that social media regulation and accountability matter. Platforms must be designed and run to protect children’s safety and health,” the WHO chief wrote.
“Enforce real age limits, curb harmful and addictive design, be transparent about algorithms, uphold a duty of care, and face independent oversight. Evidence shows harms aren’t just about use but about design,” he added.
Ghebreyesus stressed that his organization supports the so-called ‘#DigitalBalance’, which is the concept that promotes the healthy, conscious, and balanced use of technology in everyday life.
Also on Thursday, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) recommended that Spain approve and strengthen regulations and policies to protect minors from harmful content in the media and on digital platforms, guaranteeing their right to privacy.
In a report on Spain’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Committee of experts calls on the Spanish authorities to continue assessing the emerging risks to minors in the digital environment.
The CRC calls on Spain, as a State party to the convention, to take into account the possible negative impact on children’s health of “problematic or addictive” technologies, and to equate “digital violence” with that suffered by minors in the “real world” in terms of protection.
In September, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen urged the European Union to consider introducing an age limit for social media and announced the creation of a panel of experts to develop recommendations to protect minors in the digital environment.
In November, the European Parliament invited member states to consider a minimum age of 16 for the autonomous use of these platforms, in a non-binding recommendation. EFE
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