Mexico's president signs decree ordering tech platforms to protect minors from adult content
Platforms have 30 calendar days to implement the mandatory measures.
Mexico's president Claudia Sheinbaum has signed a decree ordering digital platforms to protect children from accessing adult and other types of content, the government announced. Sites have 30 calendar days to implement the mandatory measures, though they won't initially face any punishment if they don't. Mexico isn't the first country to introduce digital child protection measures, but it's unique in issuing the new rules via a presidential decree rather than new legislation.
The rules apply to social media or other platforms that let users create, distribute or share content. It outlaws access by minors to hate speech, violent extremism, sexual abuse or exploitation, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, school violence, harassment, cyberbullying, unlawful conduct and explicit sexual material. the government wrote.
Platforms must identify and remove accounts or content that promote violence, provide age classifications for content along with parental supervision and reporting tools, while applying stronger privacy and safety settings for younger users. It must also "maintain a 24/7 available point of contact" with investigating authorities, preserve evidence and alert authorities when any life-threatening contents identified.
While the degree is obligatory, it will be non-punitive to start with. However, government said it will pursue further legislation if companies don't follow the rules. Compliance will come from Mexico's ADTT (Agency for Digital Transformation and Telecommunications).
Mexico previously considered applying an eight percent tax on violent video games, though Sheinbaum later dropped the idea. Mexico now joins multiple countries and territories implementing digital child protection laws of different kinds, including Australia, Europe and China, along with Florida, Mississippi, Ohio and Texas. Australia's pioneering under-16 social media ban saw early teething problems as minors found ways around platforms' age-verification tools.