New law in Portugal restricts social media until age 16: should Mozambique follow suit?

Portugal is positioning itself at the forefront of a new wave of legislation seeking to impose clear limits on children's and teenagers' presence on social media. The Assembly of the Republic has approved, in principle, a bill establishing that under-16s will no longer be able to access digital platforms freely, with access depending on parental authorisation in the case of young people aged between 13 and 16.

The measure represents a tightening of the previous regime, which set the minimum age for independent consent to the processing of personal data online at 13. Under the new framework, only those over 16 will be able to create and use accounts without validation from their parents or legal guardians. Below the age of 13, independent access remains impossible.

The bill also requires platforms to adopt effective age-verification mechanisms, making them responsible for compliance with the rules. The stated aim is to strengthen the protection of minors' mental health and to reduce the risks of cyberbullying, improper exposure of data and digital addiction.

Portugal is thus following an international trend. According to Reuters, several countries have been tightening their rules. Australia has already banned under-16s from accessing the main social networks, imposing heavy fines on companies that fail to enforce the ban. In countries such as France, the United Kingdom and Spain, debates and legislative processes are under way to raise minimum ages or strengthen verification systems.

The movement reveals a change of paradigm: the digital space is no longer seen as neutral territory and has come onto the political agenda as a matter of child protection. The balance between freedom of access and the safeguarding of the young has become one of the great questions of our time.

In Mozambique, where internet access is growing rapidly among children and teenagers, the debate has not yet found the same legislative expression. Given what is happening in Europe and other regions, reflection is called for: should Mozambique take the same path?