The Spanish government is moving forward with legislation that plans to ban individuals under the age of 16 from using social media. The proposed law is a bid to protect the younger generation from potential harm in the digital world, aiming to ensure their safety and privacy online. Though no specific timetable has been laid out, the move is expected to trigger debates on children's digital rights and influence on social media policies worldwide.

In Japan, where extensive use of social media among children and adolescents is common, this news is a topic of great interest. The country has been grappling with its own online safeguards for minors; thus, the Spanish decision may trigger a deeper discussion on digital rights, online privacy, and child protection in the country. Japan's legal age of majority is 20 years old, which may influence the age limit discussion if similar restrictions are considered.

In contrast, in the U.S. and EU, there are already regulations in place protecting children online, though the age at which children can use social media varies. The proposed Spanish law sets a stricter tone compared to the U.S.'s COPPA rule, which only requires parental consent for children under 13 to use social media, and the EU's GDPR, which leaves the 'digital age of consent' between 13-16 years old for member countries to decide.