Many of you may have already heard about the new Netflix series, Adolescence, which has been a major success. Written by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham, this series portrays contemporary societal issues regarding social media and minors—a constantly evolving world that many of us do not fully understand. The show vividly illustrates the dangers associated with social media use, as its protagonist, a 13-year-old boy, becomes influenced by comments, posts, and influencers, ultimately adopting dangerous behaviors. In this case, sexism and misogyny culminate in the tragic murder of one of his classmates. That’s as much as I can share to avoid spoilers.
It is important to reflect on these issues, even in fiction, as they highlight how social media can negatively impact minors. This underscores the need to protect children in digital environments. In Spain, this necessity has been addressed through the recent approval of the Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments, which was passed on March 25, 2025.
Key Aspects of the Law
This bill focuses on several critical areas to ensure the protection of minors:
- It imposes two obligations on manufacturers of digital devices with internet access that could expose minors to harmful content:
- A requirement to provide information about potential risks arising from improper use of their products.
- A requirement to include parental control features for services, applications, and content by default, which must be free for users and include activation, configuration, and updates.
- A general prohibition on access to random reward mechanisms (loot boxes) for minors, particularly those involving virtual items that can be exchanged for money or other virtual goods. Loot boxes, commonly found in video games, can lead to negative consequences such as impulsive, compulsive, or pathological spending behaviors.
- A business obligation to verify the age of consumers before allowing them to purchase goods or services by requiring official documentation or any other effective age verification method. This applies to content with sexual or violent material or content that poses a risk to physical health or personality development. Failure to comply with this regulation is classified as a minor offense under consumer protection laws.
- Amendments to the Criminal Code in four areas:
- Prohibiting digital access or communication between victims and their aggressors.
- Criminalizing the act of making pornographic material indiscriminately available to minors.
- Defining ‘deepfakes’ with sexual or highly degrading content, created using artificial intelligence, as crimes against moral integrity.
- Regulating grooming (online deception of minors) as an aggravating factor in sexual offense cases.
- An amendment to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to raise the age of consent for the processing of minors’ personal data to 16 years. Currently, in Spain, the minimum age is set at 14 years.
Conclusion
The approval of this bill represents a partial step forward in protecting minors, who are increasingly exposed to technology and digital information from an early age. However, it will introduce additional obligations for manufacturers (which may impact the parental control app market) and web operators. The change in the age of consent (to 16) aligns with the GDPR and other EU countries.
It is crucial to regulate these aspects to ensure the safety of minors in the digital space. We will stay tuned for future updates to continue fostering a safer online environment for children!
