Europe Asia News

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said on Tuesday: “Our children are being exposed to a space where they should never be allowed to roam alone. A space full of addiction, abuse, pornography, manipulation and violence. We will no longer accept this—we will protect them from the digital Wild West.”

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, Sánchez said his government would also introduce new laws to hold social media executives criminally liable if they fail to remove illegal or hate-filled content.

The new rules will also penalize individuals and platforms, including algorithms, that amplify illegal content. “We will make algorithmic manipulation and the amplification of illegal content a new crime,” he said. “Spreading hatred must have a cost.”

The legislative process will begin next week. Sánchez added that other proposed measures include developing a system called a “hate and polarization footprint” to monitor and measure how digital platforms fuel division and increase hatred.