Social network restrictions for children approved in Portugal

The Portuguese parliament has approved in the first reading a bill aimed at restricting the use of social networks by children and adolescents. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

This bill requires explicit and verified parental consent for children aged 13–16 to use social networks. For those under 13, existing restrictions will be strengthened and supervision will become more stringent.

The document may be amended during the final voting process. This initiative was proposed by the Portuguese Social Democratic Party, whose main goal is to protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content, and malicious individuals.

The Digital Mobile Key system is planned to be used to verify age and confirm parental consent. If companies fail to comply with these requirements, they may be fined up to 2 percent of their global revenue.

The restrictions will apply to social networks such as Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok. However, the WhatsApp platform is excluded, as many parents use this app to communicate with their children.

At the same time, the Portuguese Socialist Party emphasizes that platforms must implement mechanisms to protect users aged 13–16 from violence, early sexual content, addictive games, and manipulated materials.