Spain proposes law to improve online safety for children, including virtual restraining orders

This combination of photos shows logos of X, formerly known as Twitter, top left; Snapchat, top right; Facebook, bottom left; and TikTok, bottom right. Spain’s government has proposed a wide-ranging law to protect children from on-line threats. It includes virtual restraining orders for felons as well as health screens for teenagers to detection emotional disorders derived from the ills of social media. — AP

BARCELONA: Spain’s government has proposed a law to protect children from online threats that includes virtual restraining orders for felons, a higher age for opening social media accounts and health screenings for teenagers to detect related emotional disorders.

"The health, well-being and security of our children, as well as the tranquility of our families, are at stake,” Justice Minister Félix Bolaños said Tuesday as he presented the proposal at a post-Cabinet press conference. Spain’s left-wing minority government will need the support of other parties to make it law.