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.
iWorld
JioStar revenue hits Rs 9,784 crore as cricket fuels 22 per cent growth
A surge in digital viewership and sports dominance fuels a blockbuster quarter for the media giant
MUMBAI: JioStar is batting on a flat pitch. The media titan’s fourth-quarter results for the financial year 2026 reveal a business scaling new heights, propelled by an unprecedented appetite for premium sports and digital-first storytelling.
Gross revenue for the quarter soared by 22.15 per cent to Rs 9,784 crore, up from Rs 8,010 crore in the third quarter. Operationally, the momentum was equally strong; revenue from operations climbed 21 per cent to Rs 8,372 crore. These figures underscore the firm’s successful integration following the Reliance and Disney merger, creating a dominant force in the Indian market.
The annual performance has been nothing short of a spectacle. Full-year gross revenue reached a massive Rs 36,248 crore, while annual profit after tax hit Rs 3,210 crore. This rapid expansion reflects JioStar’s ability to capture and monetise the massive growth in India’s media consumption.
Cricket proved to be the ultimate growth engine. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 and TATA IPL 2026 delivered “record-breaking viewership” across both television and digital screens. The World Cup final alone drew a global peak concurrency of 72.5 million on JioHotstar, cementing its status as the nation’s premier streaming destination. On television, JioStar maintained a commanding 34.2 per cent viewership share, reaching a staggering 810 million viewers nationwide.
The digital numbers were just as impressive. JioHotstar averaged 500 million monthly active users, driven by consistent subscriber growth and innovative AI-led content discovery tools. These advancements are ensuring that JioStar remains at the cutting edge of the global “Race for Attention.”
With a firm grip on the country’s most valuable sporting rights and a rapidly growing digital footprint, JioStar is perfectly positioned for the future. It has built the ultimate content powerhouse—one that is ready to dominate the Indian living room for years to come.
