Spain
Spain's Ley Organica 8/2021 (LOPIVI, Comprehensive Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence) classifies unsolicited exposure to pornography as a form of violence against minors and requires public administrations to run awareness campaigns and promote parental control tools, but it does not itself impose a binding age verification duty on pornography providers. The current statutory minimum age at which a minor may independently consent to an information society service such as social media, without parental consent, is 14 under Article 7 of Ley Organica 3/2018 (LOPDGDD, Organic Law on Data Protection and Digital Rights Guarantee). A government sponsored Proyecto de Ley Organica para la proteccion de las personas menores de edad en los entornos digitales (Draft Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments), approved by the Council of Ministers and formally submitted to Congress in March 2025, would raise the social media registration age to 16, require device manufacturers to install free parental control systems by default, and let authorities seek judicial orders blocking pornography and video sharing platforms that lack effective age verification. It survived a whole bill rejection amendment in a Congress plenary vote and remained under committee level amendment review (ponencia) as of June 2026.
National jurisdiction. Reviewed 2026-07-15.
Ley Organica 8/2021, de 4 de junio, de proteccion integral a la infancia y la adolescencia frente a la violencia (LOPIVI, Organic Law 8/2021 on the comprehensive protection of children and adolescents against violence)
Classifies unsolicited access to pornography as a form of violence against minors and requires public administrations to develop educational campaigns on the risks of pornography exposure and to promote parental control mechanisms, but does not impose a direct age verification obligation on pornography providers themselves.
- Citation
- Ley Organica 8/2021, de 4 de junio (LOPIVI, Comprehensive Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence)
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2021-06-25
- Applies to
- Government
- Covered services
- Public administration awareness and prevention programs; no direct provider verification mandate
- Enforcement body
- Ministerio de Juventud e Infancia and regional child protection authorities
- Private right of action
- no
- Source
- Ley Organica 8/2021, de 4 de junio (LOPIVI, Comprehensive Law on the Protection of Children and Adolescents against Violence)
Ley Organica 3/2018, de 5 de diciembre, de Proteccion de Datos Personales y garantia de los derechos digitales (LOPDGDD, Organic Law 3/2018 on personal data protection and digital rights guarantee), Art. 7
Sets 14 as the minimum age at which a minor can independently consent to processing of personal data for an information society service, including registering for a social media account. Parental or guardian consent is required for processing based on consent for users under 14.
- Citation
- Ley Organica 3/2018, de 5 de diciembre (LOPDGDD, Organic Law on Data Protection and Digital Rights Guarantee), Art. 7
- Status
- In force
- Effective date
- 2018-12-07
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 14
- Verification methods
- self declaration, parental consent
- Covered services
- Information society services, including social media platforms, offered directly to minors in Spain
- Enforcement body
- Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos (AEPD)
- Source
- Ley Organica 3/2018, de 5 de diciembre (LOPDGDD, Organic Law on Data Protection and Digital Rights Guarantee), Art. 7
Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Draft Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments), judicial blocking of noncompliant adult content platforms
Would empower Spanish courts, on petition from the competent authority, to order the blocking or takedown of video sharing platforms distributing pornographic content in Spain that lack effective age verification mechanisms limiting access by minors.
- Citation
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 18
- Covered services
- Video-sharing and pornography platforms accessible in Spain
- Enforcement body
- Spanish courts, on petition from the competent digital protection authority (proposed)
- Source
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Draft Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments), device level parental control mandate
Would require manufacturers of smartphones and other digital terminal devices sold in Spain to install and activate, free of charge and by default, parental control systems that can limit device usage, block access to harmful sites, and log visited sites.
- Citation
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Verification methods
- device signal, parental consent
- Covered services
- Manufacturers of smartphones and digital terminal devices sold in Spain
- Enforcement body
- to be designated (proposed)
- Source
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
Proyecto de Ley Organica para la proteccion de las personas menores de edad en los entornos digitales (121/000052, Draft Organic Law for the Protection of Minors in Digital Environments), minimum social media age
Would raise from 14 to 16 the minimum age at which a minor can independently consent to a social media account and related information society services. Approved by the Council of Ministers on 25 March 2025, formally submitted to Congress the same month, survived a whole bill rejection amendment (enmienda a la totalidad) in a plenary vote, and remained under committee level amendment review as of June 2026.
- Citation
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
- Status
- Proposed
- Effective date
- Not yet effective
- Applies to
- Private sector
- Age threshold
- 16
- Verification methods
- parental consent
- Covered services
- Social media and information society services offered to minors in Spain
- Enforcement body
- Agencia Espanola de Proteccion de Datos (proposed)
- Source
- Proyecto de Ley Organica 121/000052 (Congreso de los Diputados, XV Legislatura)
Reviewed 2026-07-15. Confidence: medium. Fast-moving area, verify before relying. Not legal advice.