Editorial & Advertiser disclosure
Global Banking & Finance Review® is an online platform offering news, analysis, and opinion on the latest trends, developments, and innovations in the banking and finance industry worldwide. The platform covers a diverse range of topics, including banking, insurance, investment, wealth management, fintech, and regulatory issues. The website publishes news, press releases, opinion and advertorials on various financial organizations, products and services which are commissioned from various Companies, Organizations, PR agencies, Bloggers etc. These commissioned articles are commercial in nature. This is not to be considered as financial advice and should be considered only for information purposes. It does not reflect the views or opinion of our website and is not to be considered an endorsement or a recommendation. We cannot guarantee the accuracy or applicability of any information provided with respect to your individual or personal circumstances. Please seek Professional advice from a qualified professional before making any financial decisions. We link to various third-party websites, affiliate sales networks, and to our advertising partners websites. When you view or click on certain links available on our articles, our partners may compensate us for displaying the content to you or make a purchase or fill a form. This will not incur any additional charges to you. To make things simpler for you to identity or distinguish advertised or sponsored articles or links, you may consider all articles or links hosted on our site as a commercial article placement. We will not be responsible for any loss you may suffer as a result of any omission or inaccuracy on the website.
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 12, 2026
2 min read
Last updated: February 12, 2026
New Legislation on Social Media Access for Minors
LISBON, Feb 12 (Reuters) – Portugal’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill, on its first reading, requiring explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media, in one of the first concrete legislative moves in Europe to impose such restrictions.
Purpose of the Legislation
Authors of the draft legislation from the ruling Social Democratic Party argue it is needed to protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content and predatory individuals.
Implementation of Digital Mobile Key
A system known as Digital Mobile Key will be used by parents to give consent, also helping to enforce the existing ban for children under the age of 13 to access digital social media, video- and image-sharing platforms, or online betting sites.
Comparative International Legislation
The bill can still be modified before the final vote.
France’s lower house last month backed legislation to ban children under 15 from social media amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks. Australia’s world-first ban for under-16s on social media platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December.
(Reporting by Sergio Goncalves, editing by Andrei Khalip)