iWorld
Spain to ban social media for under-16s to protect young users
MADRID: The Spanish government is preparing to hit the block button on social media for anyone under the age of 16. In a move that has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, prime minister Pedro Sánchez announced today that Spain is finished with the “Digital wild west” and is ready to enforce some strict digital discipline.
The proposed law aims to transform the way teenagers interact with the internet. Rather than simply ticking a box to pinky-promise they are old enough, young users will face “real barriers” to entry. This means tech giants will be forced to implement robust age-verification systems, likely involving digital IDs or facial scanning, to ensure that 13-year-olds aren’t scrolling through TikTok until the early hours.
While the ban itself is a headline-grabber, the real sting is in the tail for tech moguls. Under this new legislation, social media executives could face personal criminal liability. If a platform persistently fails to scrub illegal content or uses “addictive” algorithms to hook kids, the bosses themselves could be looking at more than just a PR crisis; they could be looking at a prison cell.
Sánchez argued that the current system is a “failed state” where minors are exposed to everything from body-image issues to non-consensual deepfakes. By making tech titans legally responsible for the “digital toxicity” they host, Spain hopes to force a total reboot of how these apps are designed.
Spain isn’t acting as a lone wolf. They are leading a group of six European nations, nicknamed the “Coalition of the digitally willing,” to create a unified front against big tech. With France and Denmark already eyeing similar age caps, the era of the “unrestricted scroll” for European youngsters appears to be reaching its final chapter.
The legislation is expected to move through the Spanish Parliament as early as next week. While teenagers across the country may be mourning their disappearing follower counts, the government is betting that a little less screen time will lead to a lot more peace of mind.
e-commerce
Instamart and Duolingo launch street spell check campaign for Instaprint
Duo the owl fixes signboard typos across cities to showcase instant printing.
MUMBAI: If spelling mistakes had a sworn enemy, it might just be a bright green owl with a printer. Instamart has teamed up with language learning platform Duolingo for a quirky nationwide campaign that turns everyday spelling errors into a public spectacle while promoting its instant printing service, InstaPrint. The playful activation takes aim at the many misspelled shop boards and public signs scattered across Indian streets. From “saloons” that promise haircuts rather than drinks to menus and posters peppered with punctuation mishaps, the campaign sends Duolingo’s mascot Duo on a mission to restore linguistic order.
Armed with Instamart’s instant printing feature, Duo prints corrected versions of the mistakes on the spot and pastes them over the originals. The result is a series of humorous street interventions that have quickly begun circulating on social media.
Photos and videos of the grammar correcting owl have been widely shared online, with amused users reacting to the unexpected spell check patrol. One user joked, “Ab ayega na maza bhidu,” capturing the internet’s delight at the unusual campaign.
Behind the humour lies a practical message. The activation is designed to showcase the capabilities of Instaprint, Instamart’s printing service that allows users to print documents and posters almost instantly.
The company says the feature is meant for everyday needs such as printing resumes, visa documents or last minute posters without the usual scramble to locate a print shop.
Instamart introduced Instaprint in 2025 across select metropolitan cities including Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi. The service allows users to order printed materials directly through the platform, extending the quick commerce model beyond groceries and household essentials.
By combining Duolingo’s famously persistent owl with India’s street level spelling quirks, the campaign taps into the internet’s long running fascination with grammar mistakes while demonstrating a real world use case for instant printing.
After all, in a world full of typos, sometimes what you really need is a quick printer and a very determined language teacher.
