Spain's PP and PSOE clash over credit for social media ban for minors
The PP proposed banning social media for under-16s back in November; now that Sánchez's government announces the same measure, it accuses him of copying. Protection or control?
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
PP and PSOE fight over who came first on digital restrictions for minors
Who proposed it first? Spain's Partido Popular (conservative opposition party) registered an amendment in November — amendment 256 — to ban access to social media for under-16s. Now that Sánchez's government announces a similar measure, the PP accuses it of copying. But behind the partisan squabble, the real debate is another one: protection or control?
Both parties agree on the substance. The PP's amendment, part of its child protection plan, set the same age limit. The socialist government has picked it up and presents it as its own initiative. The difference is one of timing and narrative, not substance.
What some analyses point out is that the measure fits into a broader agenda of digital control. The notion of "verifiable consent" sounds like a state registry of guardianship arrangements, and the normalisation of internet access as a privilege revocable by the state is no trivial matter. With the precedent of threats of fines of up to 60,000 euros for not checking in during the pandemic, political cynicism reaches heights that are hard to beat.
In the end, it doesn't matter who thought of it first. The point is that both parties are pushing in the same direction: getting their hands on people's digital lives. And minors are just the perfect excuse.
Who proposed it first? Spain's Partido Popular (conservative opposition party) registered an amendment in November — amendment 256 — to ban access to social media for under-16s. Now that Sánchez's government announces a similar measure, the PP accuses it of copying. But behind the partisan squabble, the real debate is another one: protection or control?
Both parties agree on the substance. The PP's amendment, part of its child protection plan, set the same age limit. The socialist government has picked it up and presents it as its own initiative. The difference is one of timing and narrative, not substance.
What some analyses point out is that the measure fits into a broader agenda of digital control. The notion of "verifiable consent" sounds like a state registry of guardianship arrangements, and the normalisation of internet access as a privilege revocable by the state is no trivial matter. With the precedent of threats of fines of up to 60,000 euros for not checking in during the pandemic, political cynicism reaches heights that are hard to beat.
In the end, it doesn't matter who thought of it first. The point is that both parties are pushing in the same direction: getting their hands on people's digital lives. And minors are just the perfect excuse.
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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