European countries are still taking their broadest swipes at social media, with increasing numbers banning services to minors and setting the stage for a new showdown with some major US companies.
The initiative marks a significant shift in the digital landscape, with high-stakes implications for major technology companies and potential reactions from US leaders. (Representative photo/Unsplash)The policy was first implemented in Australia, covering Meta Platform Inc.’s Instagram and Facebook, Snap Inc., Elon Musk’s X, TikTok and Google’s YouTube. Now it’s catching on in Europe, with regulators threatening to cut off access to millions of young users from services it says are harmful and addictive — and the critical ad dollars that come with them.
It took a distinctly political, ideological and personal turn when Spain became the latest country to propose a ban on the service, with the country’s Socialist leader and Musk, who has called for the dissolution of the European Union and taken the fight public by raiding his X office in Paris.
“Social media has become a failed state,” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a speech in Dubai on Tuesday. “I know it won’t be easy. Social media companies are richer and more powerful than many countries, including mine. But their strength and power will not intimidate us.”
Also Read | After Australia and France, Spain now wants to ban social media for children under 16
Musk responded a few hours later on X: “Dirty Sanchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain.”
With at least six countries – France, the UK, Portugal, Denmark, Greece and the Netherlands – and the EU having similar restrictions, the moves point to a clear direction for travel and escalate the culture war with the Trump administration and some of the world’s most powerful tycoons.
Representatives for Meta Platforms Inc., Snap Inc., TikTok, YouTube and X did not respond to requests for comment.
While European regulators have repeatedly punished US social media companies for monopolistic practices, their hoarding of consumer data and the spread of harmful content has meant that hostility to Silicon Valley has intensified in recent weeks.
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This is largely due to Elon Musk’s anger over Grok, an artificial intelligence chatbot powered by Musk’s xAI, that generated millions of non-consensual, sexualized images on his social platform X. Many were women, but the unclothed images included some children.
The company has said it will rein in the tool, but regulators around the world have jumped into action and it has become a hot-button issue for politicians and sensitive voters.
The European moves could trigger an aggressive response from President Donald Trump and his orbit. Europe has been a frequent target of his ire, and the transatlantic partnership that has been a staple of the global order for the past eight decades is nearing breaking point.
In December, Trump warned Europe to “be very careful” after EU tech regulators fined Musk’s X $140 million for violating its online content rules.
After fireworks at the World Economic Forum in Davos, tensions could easily flare up again at the Munich Security Conference later this month, where Vice President JD Vance accused Europeans of “digital censorship” last year.
The personal animosity was on display when Sánchez accused Musk of spreading “confusion” about Spain’s move to regularize undocumented migrants. The billionaire had previously retweeted a post that described it as “election engineering”.
“Before Trump became president, there was concern about retaliation if countries acted too forcefully against big tech,” said Zach Meyers, research director at the Center on Regulation in Europe. “It’s fallen away a bit in recent months.”
Platforms have a lot to lose if the pipeline of younger users is cut The likes of TikTok and Snapchat have grown on the back of teenage adoption, whose preferences for features like filters, vertical videos and disappearing posts have influenced consumer app design in general.
YouTube has a large audience of children, which has invited political scrutiny in the past.
Still, these features are also seen as addictive and several of the biggest networks are facing lawsuits in the US, facing accusations that their products are harmful to young people.
Europe is the second largest region for many tech companies after North America thanks to widespread technology adoption and a mature online advertising ecosystem. Snap Inc. and Meta Platforms Inc. For both, incomes are growing faster in Europe than in the US
“Europe is a cash cow for Big Tech, so this is a big problem for them, without a doubt,” said Alicia García Herrero, a Bruegel senior fellow, adding that the US would likely see the ban as political.
Such restrictions are not easy to implement. Digital policy experts also question whether there is enough evidence that the ban will encourage children to spend more time offline.
Australia has become the first in the world to crack down on social media for children, with tech companies shutting down the accounts of nearly 5 million children under the age of 16 in December.
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Tech platforms there have argued that cutting minors from services is difficult, if not impossible, and could lead to wider problems.
Age proofing processes can include sharing sensitive documents like driving licenses or passports, opening the door to cyber-attacks or misuse of data. A ban also risks driving users to less legitimate services
Countries looking to replicate Australia’s laws will each have their own hurdles.
French President Emmanuel Macron is a staunch advocate of age restrictions on social media. In 2024, he called screen addiction “a breeding ground for all kinds of problems: bullying, violence, dropping out of school.” Last week, its National Assembly adopted a ban on social media services for children under the age of 15 The bill will now go to the Senate for adoption
France, however, has struggled to implement other internet policing measures. A recent law banning online pornography for minors requires people to verify their age through a third-party service. There is evidence that many web users have tapped virtual private networks or VPNs to hide their identity.
“VPNs are the next thing on my list,” Anne Le Hennouf, France’s AI and digital affairs minister, said on French TV last week.
There were similar concerns when the UK imposed age tests and the country is consulting on various measures, such as restricting access by age, creating phone curfews and rules around addictive designs. It expects to make a decision in the summer.
“There’s no point in consulting if I’ve already made up my mind,” Britain’s technology secretary Liz Kendall said in an interview last month. “Both sides have different opinions.”
This story appeared from a wire agency feed without text changes.
