After Australia’s ban on children under 16 and France’s stringent measures, Spain and Greece are now joining the ranks. These countries are bringing in stringent legal provisions like ‘age-verification’ and ‘access block’ to protect the mental health of minors.
Globally, concerns about the ill effects of social media are now turning into laws. Considering the mental health of children and teenagers, online safety and increasing screen time, governments have now started taking strict steps. Now the governments of Spain and Greece are also seriously considering new laws to limit the social media use of youth.
Also read: Social Media Ban: Speculation intensifies regarding social media ban for children, after Australia, is it India’s turn now?
What new rule is proposed in Spain and Greece
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced that the government is planning to ban social media for children under 16. Meanwhile, government officials in Greece have indicated that similar steps could be taken to limit the social media access of teenagers under the age of 15.
Parents will get relief
The government believes that these laws will act as digital guardians for parents. Often parents are not able to enforce digital limits on their children alone, but making laws at the national level will reduce this burden on them. According to Diana Diaz, head of Spain’s ANAR (Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk) Foundation, having clear laws will reduce the burden on parents to fulfill the responsibility alone.
The screws will also be tightened on tech companies
The Spanish government is also working on a law that could hold senior executives of social media companies personally responsible for hate speech and harmful content. This step is being taken amid growing public resentment over alleged negligence in monitoring tech companies.
