Spain moves to restrict access to porn sites for minors

MADRID: Spain´s leftist government said on Tuesday it was developing age verification technology to prevent minors from viewing pornography online and intended to introduce draft legislation to tackle the problem.

The move comes amid a rise in sexual assaults by minors in Spain, including several gang rapes, that has worried officials and experts, who warn about the impact of ever-younger children being exposed to pornography.

“The consumption of porn at such young ages has obvious and logical negative impacts,” government spokeswoman Pilar Alegria told a news conference after a weekly cabinet meeting, calling the issue “a major concern for society”.

The government has tasked Spain´s national data protection agency to develop an application that can be installed on mobile phones and other electronic devices which proves the user is at least 18 years old and can therefore access porn sites, she said.

A pilot version of the application has already been tested on the main internet browsers and a final version should be ready during the first half of 2024, she added, without providing details regarding how the government will enforce its use.

The initiative is “pioneering” in Europe, Alegria claimed. France last year announced it planned to introduce a digital-certification mechanism to control access to pornographic websites and prevent children from accessing explicit material.