Mexico to force Meta, TikTok, and X to better protect minors on platform

Mexico will require the digital platforms to protect minors from violent and sexual content.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum speaks at a news conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on September 28, 2026 [Mario Guzman/EPA]

Mexican ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠President Claudia ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sheinbaum signed a presidential decree requiring digital platforms, including TikTok, Meta and X, to protect children from violent, sexual and other harmful content online.

The decree establishes that digital platforms must, by design, restrict exposure to content involving violence, harassment or sexual abuse, as well as immediately remove any risky material from the profiles of minors.

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Sheinbaum said on Wednesday that the government would back legislation to penalise companies that fail to implement the decree.

“If no progress is made, it would become a law,” she told a news conference on Tuesday.

“The goal is for digital platforms to take on some of the responsibility and refrain from disseminating, promoting, or spreading content related to this type of information — including criminal acts or violent behaviour,” Sheinbaum had said earlier when she indicated she would introduce the decree.

The decree comes after an attack by two 18-year-olds on their former high school in the northern ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌state of Coahuila in early October that killed one and wounded three others.

Digital platforms will have one month to comply with the decree, government adviser Luisa Maria Alcalde said.

Officials said they had already discussed the matter with representatives of social media outlets and streaming platforms such as Meta, Microsoft, Apple, TikTok, Google, X and Huawei.

Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Kick, YouTube, Facebook, Twitch, Reddit, Threads and X applications are displayed on a mobile phone [File: Hollie Adams/Reuters]

Last August, Meta, for example, agreed to pay an $ 18bn settlement in a major US federal case accusing it of endangering children, and was forced to introduce new safety features to platforms including Instagram and Facebook. The lawsuit alleged Meta had violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act by collecting, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠retaining, and using personal data from children under 13 without proper parental consent.

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.

墨西哥将要求数字平台保护未成年人免受暴力和色情内容的侵害。

2026年9月28日，墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·欣鲍姆在墨西哥城国家宫举行的新闻发布会上发表讲话。[Mario Guzman/EPA]

墨西哥总统克劳迪娅·谢因鲍姆签署了一项总统令，要求包括TikTok、Meta和X在内的数字平台保护儿童免受网络上的暴力、色情和其他有害内容的侵害。

该法令规定，数字平台必须从设计上限制用户接触涉及暴力、骚扰或性虐待的内容，并立即从未成年人的个人资料中删除任何危险材料。

研究显示，澳大利亚16岁以下青少年社交媒体禁令失败（共4项，此为第1项）：这意味着什么

问题 2（共 4 个）：为什么澳大利亚禁止青少年使用社交媒体？

列表3/4：Facebook被判承担责任，TikTok因用户安全问题支付1亿美元和解金。

列出 4 起元诉讼案中的第 4 起：社交媒体是否面临全球法律清算？

谢因鲍姆周三表示，政府将支持立法惩罚未能执行该法令的公司。

“如果没有取得任何进展，它将成为一项法律，”她在周二的新闻发布会上说。

“目标是让数字平台承担一些责任，避免传播、推广或散播与此类信息相关的内容，包括犯罪行为或暴力行为，”谢因鲍姆此前表示她将提出这项法令时曾这样说道。

该法令的颁布源于10月初发生在北部科阿韦拉州的一起袭击事件，两名18岁青年袭击了他们以前的高中，造成一人死亡，三人受伤。

政府顾问路易莎·玛丽亚·阿尔卡尔德表示，数字平台将有一个月的时间来遵守该法令。

官员们表示，他们已经与 Meta、微软、苹果、TikTok、谷歌、X 和华为等社交媒体平台和流媒体平台的代表讨论过此事。

手机屏幕上显示了 Instagram、TikTok、Snapchat、Kick、YouTube、Facebook、Twitch、Reddit、Threads 和 X 等应用程序。[图片：Hollie Adams/路透社]

例如，去年8月，Meta同意支付180亿美元的和解金，以了结一起美国联邦重大案件。该案件指控Meta危害儿童安全，并被迫在其包括Instagram和Facebook在内的平台上推出新的安全功能。诉讼称，Meta违反了《儿童在线隐私保护法》，在未获得家长适当同意的情况下，收集、保留和使用13岁以下儿童的个人数据。

墨西哥此举是在全球范围内加强保护未成年人网络安全的更广泛努力的一部分，欧洲和澳大利亚政府正在加强对数字平台的监管，美国各州也在采取一系列儿童安全措施。

巴西也已采取措施加强对儿童网络安全的保护。这些措施引发了人们的疑问：如何在保护未成年人的同时，保障他们的隐私和言论自由？