Minors on the internet: massive use, growing risks, and legislation under construction

The use of technology and internet access by minors in Spain is widespread. According to the Digital Childhood project, promoted by UNICEF Spain, the University of Santiago de Compostela, the General Council of Colleges of Computer Engineering and Red.es, access to mobile phones and the use of social networks are fully integrated into daily life, with a progressive increase with age. 84.2% of boys and girls have their own mobile phone and the average age of access is 10.8 years, in a context marked by greater emotional vulnerability typical of adolescence.

The figures clearly reflect this intensive use: almost 20% of minors spend more than five hours on social networks during the weekend and 14.2% experience emotional distress. Furthermore, one in four students may be suffering from school bullying. All of this shows how the construction of digital identities and constant exposure influence the balance between online and offline.

Along the same lines, the Red.es report on the Use of technologies by minors in Spain, confirms the extent of the phenomenon: 96% use the internet and 95.8% use a computer or tablet. Despite broad social consensus on the need for protection —94% support measures such as age verification or parental control—, 23.2% of families do not apply any type of protection.

Risks: health, coexistence, and early exposure

The early, intensive, and unsupervised use of technology has repercussions on the development of children and adolescents, both physiologically and in terms of mental health. Adolescence, already a stage of vulnerability, is conditioned by the time of exposure and the type of content consumed.

Also in Infancia Digital, they make it clear that coexistence is also affected. The use of technology impacts family and school relationships, with the capacity to amplify behaviors. Although some risky practices are decreasing, others persist, such as digital violence in couples.

Access to inappropriate content is another of the main areas of concern. The search for and consumption of sexual content is part of the adolescent exploration process, but early access, often involuntary and without education, implies risks that can affect well-being.

In parallel, video games constitute a source of leisure, socialization, and skill development, although their impact depends on frequency, content, and accompaniment.

The report from Red.es highlights that citizens identify risks such as dangerous relationships, sextorsión or grooming. However, the lack of protection measures in a relevant part of households highlights the need to strengthen family support.

Legislation: Spain and Europe facing the digital challenge

As we already published in Demócrata, the Government has promoted the Bill for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments, which proposes measures such as parental control on devices and the obligation to inform about risks on the labeling of technological products. The norm also contemplates reinforcing the Penal Code in aspects such as the dissemination of intimate images without consent or identity theft.

One of the most relevant points is the debate about the prohibition of social media use for minors under 16 years of age, along with the regulation of device use in the educational sphere. However, the parliamentary processing presents uncertainties, as it is an organic law that requires an absolute majority.

In the European sphere, the European Commission is working on an age verification app that will allow users to prove their age when accessing online platforms. The system, based on "zero-knowledge proof," seeks to guarantee privacy and avoid the exposure of personal data.

Digital Services Act

The Digital Services Act (DSA), approved by the European Parliament four years ago, aims to protect fundamental rights in the digital environment and oblige platforms to be accountable for the content published on their platforms. As it is a regulation, its application is direct and its obligations have been fully in force since February 2024.

However, a key problem persists in Spain: all the necessary powers have not yet been granted to the body responsible for overseeing compliance. That role falls to the Comisión Nacional de los Mercados y la Competencia (CNMC), designated by the Government as the coordinator of digital markets, but which needs legal authorization to be able to request information from platforms, initiate investigations, carry out inspections, or impose sanctions.

This authorization has been repeatedly requested by the supervisor himself, but it has run aground in Congress on several occasions. The last time, when the Lower House rejected the admission for processing of a bill promoted by the PSOE to accelerate the reform. These modifications are already included in another legislative project in progress, although without prospects of being approved in the short term.

The attempt at an express reform also did not prosper. The initiative was left without sufficient support after the rejection of several parliamentary groups, while the PP conditioned its backing on issues unrelated to the norm, such as the renewal of the Presidency of the CNMC.

The result is that, despite the European regulation being fully in force, Spain still does not provide the supervisor with the necessary tools to apply it effectively.

State Pact: a shared responsibility

Faced with this scenario, the technology sector raises the need for a joint response. DigitalES adhered to the request for a State Pact to protect minors on the Internet and social networks, along with entities such as Save The Children, the ANAR Foundation, or UNICEF.

The employers' association acknowledges that minors and adolescents can access adult-oriented content, which poses a risk to their personal and emotional development. Likewise, it emphasizes that the challenge is twofold: educating on the proper use of technology and applying effective protection measures.

This approach is based on co-responsibility between families, the educational system, public administrations, and industry. DigitalES defends that each actor must establish control mechanisms according to their role in the value chain and that digital platforms must adopt measures to protect the rights of minors.

The objective is to guarantee that they can benefit from the advantages of the technological era, minimizing risks such as the dissemination of inappropriate content, school bullying, or other harmful behaviors. The proposal opts for a safer and more responsible internet, based on cooperation among all involved actors, and incorporating real age verification and parental control mechanisms, classification and immediate removal of illicit content, and provision of resources to families and educators to reduce digital divides and enable them to provide effective support.