Spain to ban social media access for children under 16

MADRID, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Spain will ban access to social media for minors under 16 and platforms will be required to implement age verification systems, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Tuesday at the World Government Summit in Dubai.

"Our children are exposed to a space they were never meant to navigate alone... We will no longer accept that," Sanchez said. "We will protect them from the digital Wild West."

He added that his government would also introduce a new bill next week to hold social media executives accountable for illegal and hateful content.

Australia in December became the first country to ban social media for children under 16.

It's a move being closely watched by other countries considering similar age-based measures, such as Britain and France.

(Reporting by David Latona, Emma Pinedo and Victoria Waldersee; editing by Charlie Devereux)