Mexico to require digital platforms to shield minors from harmful content (updated)

Apple

14/10/2026 15:23

    (Adds comment from Meta in paragraphs 6,7)
       MEXICO CITY, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Mexican President
Claudia Sheinbaum said she will sign a presidential decree on
Wednesday requiring digital platforms, including social media
and streaming sites, to shield children and teenagers from
violent, sexual and other harmful content.
    The decree, which will step up scrutiny of big technology
companies in Latin America's second-largest economy, comes after
an attack by two 18-year-old former students on a high school in
the northern state of Coahuila in early October left one person
dead and wounded three others.
    Digital platforms will have one month to come into
compliance with the decree, government adviser Luisa Maria
Alcalde said.
    Sheinbaum added that if companies failed to follow the
decree, the government would back a bill to penalize the
platforms.
    Officials said they had already met with representatives of
Meta  META.O , Microsoft  MSFT.O , Apple  AAPL.O , TikTok,
Google  GOOGL.O , X and Huawei to discuss the matter.
    A Meta spokesperson told Reuters that the company, which
runs Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Threads, is "aware of
the decree" and that it will "analyze it in detail," adding that
it has long had tools in place to help parents "guide their
children's digital experience.” 
    "We will continue to engage with the authorities to help
create a safer digital environment for teenagers in the
country,” the spokesperson said, adding that Meta offers safety
features on its platforms which include safeguards to limit who
can make contact with children, as well as the monitoring of
viewed content. 
    Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei did not
immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. 
    Mexico's move follows a broader global push to protect
minors online, with governments in Europe and Australia
tightening oversight of digital platforms and US states pursuing
a range of child-safety measures. 
    Brazil has also moved to strengthen protections for children
online. Such measures have raised questions over how to protect
minors while safeguarding privacy and freedom of expression.

    (Reporting by Raul Cortes and Diego Ore; Editing by Aida
Pelaez-Fernandez, Anthony Esposito, Joe Bavier and Cassandra
Garrison)
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