On 12 February, MPs will discuss and vote on the PSD bill, which establishes that one must be at least 16 years old to access social networks such as Instagram, TikTok, or Facebook, and that, between the ages of 13 and 16, access is only permitted after "express and verified parental consent".

The bill is expected to be approved with the votes of PS: “[The bill] is in line with our positions, so I don't see how it can fail to be approved and sent to committee so that the law can be clearer and better constructed,” Socialist MP Pedro Delgado Alves told Lusa.

The Socialist Party acknowledges the urgency of legislating on this matter, recalling the numerous studies that warn of the negative impact of social media.

“In our diagnosis, we have no doubt: This is indeed a problem. Several countries are already dealing with legislative processes that also recognise the need to protect young people and prohibit certain behaviours on the platforms,” the MP stressed.

The Socialists are “generally in agreement” with the PSD's proposal, which is likely to be approved.

However, there are technical issues they want to discuss in detail, such as “whether parental authorisation between the ages of 13 and 16 is the best solution,” but also to better analyse how age certification will be done or whether it would be problematic to have a regulator with the power to inhibit access to the platforms.

The bill argues that to access the networks, users must confirm their age through the Digital Mobile Key system. Current legislation already prohibits access to minors under 13, but there was no control, nor was age verified by the platforms.

The PSD also wants service providers to implement “age verification mechanisms when making potentially harmful or prohibited content available to children; social networking services, online games, online betting, video sharing; content or functionalities likely to affect the health, socialisation, learning capacity and well-being of children”.

The monitoring of these measures will be the responsibility of the National Communications Authority and the National Data Protection Commission, which can impose fines of up to “two million euros or 2% of the annual global turnover”.

Lusa contacted the Chega party's parliamentary group to inquire about its position on this matter, but the party has not yet responded.

Livre (L) and Iniciativa Liberal (IL) welcomed the initiative, but pointed out problems with the legislation.

“The proposal is much more than just age verification and the prohibition of social networks below a certain age,” argued Jorge Miguel Teixeira, of IL, announcing that the party will vote against it.

Among the problems identified by IL is that young people can circumvent prohibitions, as evidenced by the use of VPNs.

For the IL, the first step should be digital literacy: “If parents know that there are mechanisms to better control what happens on their children’s mobile phones and tablets, there will be no need to resort to such an invasive solution. There are ways to prevent access to certain content,” the deputy reminded.

The IL also warned about a clause in Article 12 that allows for the “automatic monitoring of all messages sent before they are sent,” that is, the “verification of people's personal correspondence.”

Furthermore, it added, age verification would not only apply to minors, but to everyone: “With the approval of the law, suddenly everyone would have to enter their digital mobile key to access their applications.”

Isabel Mendes Lopes, from the Livre party, also welcomed the Social Democratic initiative, acknowledging that there is “a predatory attitude from social networks and platforms that leads to serious problems of addiction and social isolation.”

While advocating for an age limit on accessing content and platforms, Livre has doubts about how age verification should be implemented, stressing that it must not conflict with the right to privacy and that personal data, especially that of children and young people, is safeguarded.

For the Livre party, the issue requires measures at the European level to regulate how platforms operate, but it also requires close work with children and families on how to be online and how to manage and use AI.

“It is necessary to strengthen education in schools, as well as to provide more training and information to the general population, because this is an area that has advanced much faster than our capacity to learn as a society,” argued the deputy.

In Portugal, students up to the 6th grade have been prohibited from bringing smartphones to school since September 2025.