00:00Spain is set to ban social media for anyone under the age of 16.
00:06We will protect them from the digital wild west.
00:09Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the plan on Tuesday,
00:12along with several measures aimed at ensuring online safety.
00:15Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone.
00:22Space of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, violence.
00:28We will no longer accept that.
00:32At the World Government Summit in Dubai, Sanchez said platforms would be required to bring in effective age verification.
00:39Real barriers that work.
00:41In Madrid, there were voices of cautious support.
00:44I don't generally like prohibitions, but I understand that this measure is necessary,
00:50because I believe that children under the age of 16 are not yet capable of managing something as big as social media.
00:56Social media is a huge gateway.
01:00It has many good things, but many that are not so good.
01:04They are bad.
01:05And since we don't know how to handle the negative side,
01:08I understand that it is better for social media to remain closed to certain age groups.
01:14There are many adults who do not know how to use it either, but I fear that gateway cannot be closed.
01:19Australia in December became the first country to ban social media for under-16s.
01:26Other countries, such as France and Britain, are closely watching the move as they consider similar measures.
01:32Spain's left-wing coalition government has repeatedly complained about the spread of hate speech,
01:37pornographic content and disinformation on social media.
01:41Sanchez said on Tuesday a bill would be introduced next week to hold company executives to account.
01:46CEOs of these techno-platforms will face criminal liability for failing to remove illegal or hateful content.
01:57It would also criminalize algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content.
02:03Sanchez said Spain had joined what he called the coalition of the digitally willing,
02:08with several other European countries, to coordinate and enforce cross-border regulation.
02:12He acknowledged the tough fight that lay ahead, but stressed the need for countries to defend their digital sovereignty.
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