Portugal’s parliament approved a bill on Thursday requiring explicit parental consent for children aged 13 to 16 to access social media. This is one of Europe’s first laws to set such strict rules. The draft law, by the ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), aims to protect children from cyberbullying, harmful content, and online predators. Parents will use a Digital Mobile Key (DMK) system to give consent. This system also enforces the ban on children under 13 from using social media, video, image sharing, and betting sites. Tech companies must install age verification compatible with DMK. The bill passed with 148 votes in favor, 69 against, and 13 abstentions. It can still change before the final vote. Similar moves are happening in other countries: France recently backed a ban for under 15s, and Australia started banning under-16s on major platforms last December. The bill says big digital platforms have imposed their own rules, which may harm children’s mental and emotional health. Over 20 years, social media have taken roles once held by families and schools but without regulation. PSD lawmaker Paulo Marcelo said, “We have to protect our children…we don’t intend to prohibit for the sake of prohibiting, we intend to create a norm to give more power to parents and families, to accompany and control.” Companies that flout the rules could face fines up to 2% of global revenue.