Musk labels Spain PM ‘tyrant’ after Madrid proposes social media curbs

Musk’s scathing attack on PM Pedro Sanchez comes after he announces strict new regulations for social media platforms.Published On 4 Feb 2026Tech billionaire and owner of X, Elon Musk, has dubbed socialist Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “tyrant and traitor to the people” of Spain for introducing new social media curbs for children under the age of 16.Musk’s comments on Tuesday came in response to an announcement by the Spanish prime minister that Madrid would introduce new changes to the country’s social media laws.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3French MPs approve law seeking ban on social media for children below 15list 2 of 3X to block Grok AI’s undressing featurelist 3 of 3French authorities raid X offices in Paris, summon Musk in cybercrime probeend of listThe proposed measures include a ban on social media for children under 16 and a new legal framework to hold tech executives criminally liable for illegal content. Sanchez also confirmed that the government would work with the public prosecutor to investigate alleged legal infringements by platforms, including TikTok, Instagram, and Musk’s own AI chatbot, Grok.“Dirty Sanchez is a tyrant and traitor to the people of Spain,” Musk wrote in response to the Spanish prime minister’s X post, in which he detailed the upcoming measures.Grok has come under fire for allowing users to create sexually explicit fake images of women and minors, triggering an investigation by the European Commission.The world’s richest man has been accused of platforming far-right and white supremacists, particularly in Europe. He has addressed a political rally of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the German city of Halle.Spain’s move to tighten digital regulations comes amid a broader European push to restrict social media access for minors. Several European Union (EU) nations, including France, Greece, and Denmark, have recently proposed or approved similar bans for users under the age of 15 due to concerns related to mental health and the addictive nature of algorithms.