Portugal Enacts Social Media Restrictions for Minors
Portugal has approved new legislation restricting children's access to social media, placing a greater emphasis on digital safety and platform responsibility. While aimed at social media companies, the law signals a broader regulatory trend toward protecting vulnerable users online. This development requires public digital services to re-evaluate their user research, authentication, and safeguarding workflows for different age groups.
- The legislation raises the age for independent access to social media from 13 to 16. For minors between 13 and 16, access to platforms like Instagram and TikTok will require explicit and verified parental consent. - Age verification and parental consent are mandated to be managed through Portugal's national digital identity system, the Digital Mobile Key (Chave Móvel Digital). This integrates the new regulation with existing public digital infrastructure. - The bill was introduced by the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD) with the stated goal of protecting children from cyberbullying and harmful content. It passed its first reading with a vote of 148-69, with 13 abstentions, and will now be debated in more detail at the committee stage. - This law is part of a larger European trend, with France advancing legislation for an under-15 ban without parental consent and Spain proposing a minimum age of 16. The European Commission has also expressed support for a unified EU-wide approach to age verification and child protection online. - While platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are the primary targets, messaging services such as WhatsApp are not expected to fall under the same restrictions. - Non-compliant tech companies could face significant penalties, with potential fines of up to 2% of their global annual revenue. - The previous legislation already prohibited access for children under 13, but it was not widely enforced as platforms did not systematically verify user ages. - Platforms serving users aged 13 to 16 must implement specific safeguards to protect them from content involving violence, premature sexual themes, addictive games, and manipulated media.
