--- title: "Spain holds the line on social media and AI rules as US tech lobbying intensifies" url: https://daily.dev/posts/spain-holds-the-line-on-social-media-and-ai-rules-as-us-tech-lobbying-intensifies-fm5dwv29n source_url: https://thenextweb.com/news/spain-social-media-ai-rules-tech-lobbying type: article source: "The Next Web" published: 2026-05-13T09:27:20.928Z updated: 2026-05-13T09:27:40.803Z tags: ["social-media", "ai-regulation"] reading_time: 3 upvotes: 5 comments: 0 language: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Spain holds the line on social media and AI rules as US tech lobbying intensifies **[The Next Web](https://daily.dev/sources/tnw)** · 3 min read · 5 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary Spain's digital transformation minister Óscar López has reaffirmed the country's commitment to pushing ahead with social media and AI regulations despite intense lobbying from US tech companies. The legislative package includes a ban on social media for under-16s, criminalisation of algorithm manipulation to amplify illegal content, executive liability for content removal failures, and restrictions on AI deepfakes. Spain is positioning itself as one of the EU's most aggressive enforcers, joining Australia, France, and Denmark in age-gating social platforms. US tech companies spent roughly $20 million on federal lobbying in Q1 2026, with pressure reportedly reaching Madrid as well. The under-16 social media amendment faces its next parliamentary vote in the coming weeks. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [UK under-16s social media rules to reach into gaming and AI chatbots](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-under-16s-social-media-rules-to-reach-into-gaming-and-ai-chatbots-7iuvutovf) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Europe’s social media age shift](https://daily.dev/posts/europe-s-social-media-age-shift-gvcwnxux3) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [France moves a step closer to banning under-15s from social media](https://daily.dev/posts/france-moves-a-step-closer-to-banning-under-15s-from-social-media-5fvffg3zb) · The Next Web · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [UK under-16 social media ban: what Starmer is about to do](https://daily.dev/posts/uk-under-16-social-media-ban-what-starmer-is-about-to-do-ojxljohtf) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Canada's social media ban also takes aim at AI chatbots](https://daily.dev/posts/canada-s-social-media-ban-also-takes-aim-at-ai-chatbots-61qfqnypz) · The Next Web · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#social-media](https://daily.dev/tags/social-media), [#ai-regulation](https://daily.dev/tags/ai-regulation) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/spain-holds-the-line-on-social-media-and-ai-rules-as-us-tech-lobbying-intensifies-fm5dwv29n)