The President announces the formation of a committee of experts to create a "safe digital environment for youth and children"

Headquarters of the National Markets and Competition Commission, Madrid

During his speech, the chief executive defended his proposal to reach "a great national agreement to protect minors on the Internet" vis-à-vis the "real epidemic" of the increase in the consumption of pornography by minors, which is based on their overexposure to screens and social networks, together with the misuse or abuse of data.

At the headquarters of the National Markets and Competition Commission, where the event took place, the President of the Government explained that this highly significant agreement must be based on three lines of action. "The first of these is the approval of a comprehensive law for the protection of minors on the internet", which the Council of Ministers discussed a fortnight ago.

Second is "the promotion of a multidisciplinary strategy from the educational sphere because prevention and training are absolutely key. We have to educate and raise awareness on the use of mobile phones. We have been doing this in areas such as road safety education for years, which is all the more reason to act in this case. And we must do so while preserving a comprehensive affective-sexual education. We have no time to lose," the president said.

And the "third line of action" is one that will lead us to "make progress in the creation of technological solutions that prevent access to adult content by minors".

Maximising the opportunities of the digital age, while protecting against risks

Although he focused his speech on what for the Government of Spain is an absolute priority, namely "protecting our minors and adolescents" from this "real, serious and growing risk", Pedro Sánchez also defended and highlighted the opportunities associated with the digitalisation revolution and the development of artificial intelligence, which he said "far outweigh the risks".

To this effect, he pointed out that "our responsibility is to minimise these risks and to prioritise safety, the protection of minors and their full inclusion, appealing to the common values in our society such as justice, ethics and sustainability, which define the times in which we live". But it is also "to maximise the opportunities in this digital age that are transforming Europe and that are also transforming our society".

Non official translation