Elon Musk has labelled Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez a 'tyrant' after Spain proposed banning under-16s from social media and curbing hateful content. The tech billionaire, who owns X, responded to Sánchez's announcement by posting: 'Dirty Sánchez is a tyrant and a traitor to the people of Spain.' He later escalated his criticism, calling Sánchez a 'true fascist totalitarian.'
Sánchez unveiled the measures on Tuesday, vowing to protect children from what he called the 'digital wild west.' The proposals include a social media ban for under-16s and holding tech companies accountable for hateful and harmful content. 'Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone,' Sánchez said at the World Governments Summit in Dubai.
The Spanish leader also criticised Musk for using X to 'amplify disinformation' over Spain's decision to regularise 500,000 undocumented workers and asylum seekers. Sánchez pointed out that Musk himself was a migrant. The government is preparing to change an existing bill on digital protection for minors, currently being debated in parliament.
Spain is not alone in tightening social media rules. Greece is close to announcing a similar ban for under-15s, while Australia became the first nation to prohibit under-16s from social media in December. France and Britain are also considering comparable measures. Sánchez said Spain would join five other European countries in a 'coalition of the digitally willing' to coordinate cross-border regulation.
Public opinion in Spain supports the move: an Ipsos poll found 82% of people believed children under 14 should be banned from social media, up from 73% in 2024. However, not all experts agree that social media harms adolescents. José César Perales, a professor of experimental psychology at the University of Granada, said there was no unanimous agreement on the issue.
