Portugal bringing in age checks to restrict social media for teens and children

Countries in the EU are some of the most enthusiastic in wanting to follow Australia’s lead in barring children from using social media. Portugal is the latest to get in on the act as it passes legislation.

Portugal’s parliament has approved a bill that bars free access to social media and other platforms for children under age 16, reports Euronews. In order to access such platforms, the children will be required to get consent from their parents or legal guardians.

“The minimum digital age for autonomous access to social networking platforms, video-sharing services and open communication services is set at 16; children aged 13 or over can only access them with (…) express and verified parental consent,” the bill reads.

For children under the age of 13, the bill is more restrictive as they’re outright denied access to the platforms, services, games and applications that fall under the law’s remit. Major platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok are covered by the bill, but the restrictions do not extend to WhatsApp.

Platform providers that serve children between the ages of 13 and 16 must “have certain functionalities to prevent exposure to violence, early sexual content, addictive games, manipulated videos, manipulated images.”

In terms of enforcement, the Digital Mobile Key or another mechanism that enables identification of the minor and only their age to be seen will be required for children aged between 13 and 16. Portugal’s Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital) is a secure digital authentication system that allows users to access public and private service online using a single set of credentials.

Portugal’s Social Democrat MPs are looking to the National Communications Authority (Anacom) and the National Data Protection Commission (CNPD) to oversee the effective compliance of the measures.

Portugal’s bill approval comes days after the European Union’s biggest country revealed it is considering banning social media for under 16s. The Christian Democratic Union (CDU) is Germany’s largest party and has filed a motion to discuss the age requirement for social media at the CDU’s national conference due to be held February 20-21.

Portugal’s Iberian neighbor Spain is pursuing legal moves to restrict social media for under 16s. A bill is in the approval stages, amending a draft that’s being debated in the Spanish parliament. Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sánchez said platforms will be required to implement age verification systems and “not just check boxes, but real barriers that work.” According to Reuters, 82 percent of Spaniards support banning social media for children under 14.

Greece meanwhile looks to go a little further with legislation that would put the threshold for social media users at age 15. The country has a digital wallet for children. The Kids Wallet allows parents to provide consent for children to access age-restricted online platforms or content.

Multiple countries in the EU are eyeing age assurance laws for social media, with bills at various stages of progress while some are considering. The UK is also exploring the idea.

Article Topics

age verification  |  biometrics  |  children  |  Digital Mobile Key  |  EU age verification  |  Portugal  |  social media