Following Australia’s enforcement of strict child-safety regulations in digital spaces, Spain is preparing to adopt a similar approach by restricting access to social media platforms for users under the age of 16.
The initiative was announced on February 3, 2026 by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he argued that current platform practices have left children exposed to environments marked by addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation, and violence.
Although the measure is still awaiting approval by the Spanish Parliament, it is already drawing attention due to its potential economic impact, particularly for the country’s expanding startup sector – which tends to rely on digital distribution channels.
Proposal mechanics
Under Sanchez’s intended framework, social media platforms operating in Spain would be required to prevent children under the age of 16 from independently creating or maintaining accounts.
Compliance is meant to be imposed by the companies themselves, which are expected to implement effective age-verification systems before granting user entry.
A key element of the proposal is the clarification of liability: if a platform fails to deny underage access, responsibility would not rest with parents or minors, but with the corporation itself, which could face fines or other regulatory penalties that are yet to be made public.
Platform dependency and structural exposure
Although the policy is primarily directed at social media service providers, its effects could extend across adjacent economic sectors, particularly within the realm of startups.
Spain’s startup ecosystem has grown steadily in recent years, reaching an estimated value of over €110 billion and expanding at double-digit rates. With nearly half of these firms operating in the technology sector, the landscape represents not only an evolving source of innovation, but also an increasingly visible pillar of the country’s economic modernization strategy.
A vast majority of Spanish startups maintain an active presence in digital media and social network environments. For early-stage companies in particular, platform-based distribution is not merely ancillary—it is foundational to visibility, user acquisition, and the ability to scale rapidly without significant upfront capital.
In this context, even if the proposal formally focuses on large digital corporations, its implications may ripple outward to smaller firms whose growth models depend on social reach and the algorithmic amplification of promotional content.
Youth audiences and customer acquisition models
The ban’s potential impact becomes even more pronounced when considering who exactly drives engagement on these platforms.
Social media consumption in Spain is widespread, particularly among younger demographics. Gen Z individuals are among the most active multi-platform users, and report high levels of responsiveness to online content, with social media playing a measurable role in shaping purchasing decisions.
For early-stage companies with limited marketing budgets—especially those aiming to reach a youth-oriented public—this demographic is often critical. Startups frequently depend on organic discovery, influencer networks, and targeted digital advertising to convert younger users into early adopters.
Should age-verification requirements reduce audience fluidity or alter engagement patterns in social media platforms, founders reliant on these ecosystems could thus face higher customer acquisition costs and less predictable growth dynamics.
Regulatory burdens and investment climate
By placing direct accountability onto platforms that fail to restrict underage usage, the proposed legislation signals a stricter enforcement posture that may introduce new layers of legal and compliance uncertainty for startups operating in or alongside regulated digital environments.
Increased regulatory complexity can translate into higher operational expenditures, longer product development cycles, and greater caution among investors evaluating growth prospects.
Venture capital typically favors scalable, friction-light business models; when regulatory conditions become more demanding or uncertain, investors may apply conservative valuations or shift capital toward sectors perceived as lower risk.
In an ecosystem that has been more successful in securing early-stage funding than in sustaining late-stage growth, regulatory shifts are particularly relevant, as they could further influence the expansion trajectories of emerging firms.
Emerging opportunities
Regulatory tightening, however, does not exclusively present possibilities of constraint. Stricter age-verification requirements may generate demand for privacy-preserving identity tools, secure authentication systems, and digital trust infrastructure.
The policy introduces a dual dynamic: while it may add friction to platform-dependent growth models, it may simultaneously create new niches for startups positioned to supply compliance-oriented solutions.
As of now, much of what comes next remains unclear. A crucial question refers to what the government will define as a “social media network,” particularly given that comparable regulations in Australia exclude messaging platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram, online betting sites, and certain generative AI applications—raising doubts about which services will be deemed harmful and which will not.
There is also significant ambiguity around how age verification would function in practice, with little clarity on the technical adjustments platforms may be required to make or how effective such systems would ultimately prove to be.
For now, uncertainty prevails, but should the policy be approved in its current or similar form, whether it ultimately becomes more of a constraint or catalyst for the Spanish startup sector will depend largely on implementation details and founders’ responsiveness.
Featured image: Nick Fancher via Unsplash+
