Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 5, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 5, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleSpain's PM Sanchez is determined to ban social media for under-16s, despite criticism from tech leaders like Durov and Musk, to combat misinformation.
MADRID, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Tech companies will not sway the will of the Spanish government as it intends to ban young people from social media platforms, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday, accusing "tech oligarchs" of spreading lies about Spain.
Telegram founder Pavel Durov on Wednesday joined Elon Musk in criticising plans by Sanchez to ban social media access for under-16s and to prosecute executives for hate speech on their platforms.
Spain joins countries such as Britain, Greece and France in considering tougher stances on social media, after Australia in December became the first nation to prohibit access to such platforms for children younger than 16.
"Democracy will obviously not be swayed by the tech oligarchs of the algorithm," Sanchez told an event in Madrid. "Just yesterday they addressed millions of people via their platforms to spread lies."
Durov said in a Telegram message that Spain's proposed legislation would force social media platforms to gather data on all users and allow governments to control what users see. The day before, Musk posted on his X profile that Sanchez was "a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain".
The Spanish government said Durov's message to all Spanish users of Telegram showed the urgent need to regulate social media and messaging apps to protect citizens from misleading information.
Sanchez, one of a dwindling band of leftist leaders in Europe, has been criticising technology platforms since early last year, when he proposed ending anonymity on social media and linking users' data to a common EU identity wallet.
(Reporting by Emma Pinedo, writing by Andrei Khalip, Editing by Alex Richardson)
Social media regulation refers to the laws and policies that govern how social media platforms operate, including user privacy, content moderation, and the protection of minors.
A tech oligarch is a powerful individual or entity in the technology sector that holds significant influence over social media platforms and their policies.
Misinformation is false or misleading information that is spread, regardless of intent, often leading to confusion or misunderstanding among the public.
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