Portugal: Parental Consent for Ages 13–16 on Social Media

Portugal’s parliament has passed a bill mandating explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media platforms. The legislation, introduced by the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), aims to protect minors from cyberbullying, harmful content, and predatory behavior while enforcing the existing ban on social media, video/image-sharing, and online betting for those under 13.

The measure requires platforms to integrate with Portugal’s Digital Mobile Key (DMK) system for parental verification and consent. Tech providers must also implement compatible age-verification mechanisms. Non-compliance could result in fines of up to 2% of global annual revenue.

PSD lawmaker Paulo Marcelo stated before the vote: “We have to protect our children… we don’t intend to prohibit for the sake of prohibiting, we intend to create a norm to give more power to parents and families, to accompany and control.”

The bill addresses what supporters describe as a regulatory gap allowing multinational platforms to unilaterally set rules impacting children’s cognitive and emotional development. It passed with 148 votes in favor, 69 against, and 13 abstentions, and remains subject to potential amendments before final approval.

Portugal joins a growing list of countries tightening youth access to social media. Australia implemented a full under-16 ban across major platforms (including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube) in December 2025. France’s lower house approved a ban for under-15s in January 2026. Similar age-restriction proposals are under consideration in the U.K., Spain, and several other European nations.