Overview
- PAN deputy Laura Álvarez introduced the proposal in the Mexico City Congress on Thursday, seeking to amend the local children’s rights law to label social networks a risk factor and to order authorities to issue rules to restrict use until age 16.
- Some lawmakers from Morena and the Green Party voiced support, signaling a broader coalition at the bill’s opening stage.
- Backers point to mental health and safety risks and cite UNICEF and INEGI data showing about 25% of Mexicans aged 12–17 report cyberbullying and that internet use is widespread among children and teens, while other alarming figures were presented as the legislator’s claims.
- Child-rights advocate Juan Martín Pérez García urged platform design changes and digital literacy instead of bans, noting Australia’s under-16 curb left many teens online anyway and that youths can bypass checks with tools like VPNs.
- Researchers highlighted mixed evidence on social media’s causal links to teen mental health, and the proposal draws on global moves such as France’s parental-consent rule before 15 and debates underway in Spain.