Spain is raising the minimum age for using social media such as Instagram or TikTok.

Minimum age for minors can create an account and access various social networks such as Instagram, X (Twitter) or TikTok may change in the coming months. Council of Ministers approved a new bill which modifies this requirement found in the Digital Minors Protection Act.

There is currently a minimum age for minors to access social media It is set at 14 years., although not all platforms comply with these rules. For example, Facebook or Instagram allow children under 13 to use them. While others, such as YouTube, adhere to each region’s legal age.

With the new law the age will change to at least 16 years. They must also have their parents’ permission to be able to create and log into TikTok, Instagram X (Twitter) or any other social network operating in the territory. Another 10 European Union member states also have this age limit for access to various platforms.

The purpose of this regulation is to guarantee the rights of minors in the digital sphere, especially the right to privacy, honor and self-esteem, as well as the right to the protection of their personal data and access to content appropriate for their use. age.

They spoke about this step at a meeting of the Council of Ministers held on Tuesday, June 4.

Tightening control of access to social networks

The new bill, which, we repeat once again, corresponds to changes in the Digital Protection of Minors Act, will also bring with it changing the access control mode to specified social networks.

Although platforms like Facebook or Instagram are constantly fighting to protect children, they have too few verification processes. The user must confirm his age when creating an account.; There is no feedback, so a minor can simply lie about his date of birth and make the social network believe that he is of legal age to use it.

However, the Spanish Data Protection Agency (AEPD) is working on identification system to allow minors to bypass age verification when creating an account on various social networks, as well as on pages with adult content, which usually only show a window allowing them to recognize that the user has reached the age of majority.

This system consists of accreditation by official document (eg DNI) to determine whether he is an adult or a minor. It will be released soon; perhaps when this bill is passed.