The European Commission has cautioned EU countries against introducing additional obligations on social media platforms, following Spain’s announcement that it plans to ban under-16s from accessing such services. A spokesperson for the Commission said that imposing extra rules could conflict with the bloc’s existing Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets out comprehensive regulations for online platforms.
“Of course we value the fact that member states want to go a step further, potentially by restricting social media access for kids,” said Thomas Regnier, the Commission’s spokesperson for technology. “Taking measures or putting additional obligations on platforms is a clear no-go, because this is regulated by the DSA. We don’t want to protect only kids in Spain, we want to protect everyone in Europe with the DSA. There is no need to step on the shoes of the DSA.”
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced on Tuesday that his government would ban social media for users under 16 and amend laws to criminalise those “ultimately responsible” for manipulating algorithms. Sánchez described the move as necessary to protect users from what he called a “digital wild west.” The announcement drew sharp criticism from Elon Musk, owner of X, who labelled the measure as authoritarian.
Spain is not alone in considering restrictions on minors. Seven EU countries – Austria, Denmark, France, Greece, Spain, the Netherlands, and Portugal – have either introduced or are reportedly planning similar bans. Officials cite scientific studies showing the negative psychological impacts of social media on adolescents. Some countries have begun developing national age-verification apps, prompting questions over whether an EU-wide system would be more effective.
While the European Commission has said member states have the right to set age limits, it urged governments to avoid imposing additional obligations on platforms that could clash with the DSA. Regnier noted that the Commission has been working on its own age verification system for the past two years and described national actions as “acting at the right moment.”
President Ursula von der Leyen has previously supported the idea of a “digital majority age” for online services, and the Commission has convened a panel of experts to study age restrictions across platforms. Spain has emphasised that its approach would require social media companies to implement effective age verification systems, not just simple check-boxes, to prevent minors from bypassing restrictions.
The Commission also appeared to distance itself from Spain’s plan to hold corporate owners criminally liable, noting that DSA enforcement targets platforms rather than individual executives. Regnier highlighted positive cooperation between regulators and tech companies, praising TikTok as “extremely cooperative” with DSA rules.
The debate highlights ongoing tensions between national governments seeking stricter rules for minors and the EU executive’s goal of uniform regulation across the bloc. As social media continues to play a central role in the lives of young Europeans, policymakers face increasing pressure to balance protection, enforcement, and cross-border consistency.
