Poland and Puerto Rico tighten online content rules for minors

Poland's parliament approved an amendment to article 255b of its criminal code that criminalises the creation and distribution of harmful online content, known as “patostreaming”. The new law sets imprisonment of up to three years for adults and three months to five years for offences involving minors, while exempting journalists, scientists and artists when the material is used for legitimate purposes. The amendment now moves to the Senate for further approval before it can be signed by President Karol Nawrocki and take effect.

In Puerto Rico, Senate Vice‑President Marissa Jiménez Santoni introduced a “Code for the Use of Social Networks by Minors” that would ban users under 16 from platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, Discord and X. The proposal requires retailers of mobile devices to display QR‑coded instructions for parental‑control tools, mandates a public‑awareness campaign coordinated by several government departments, and seeks to amend the civil code to allow damages claims related to algorithmic manipulation of young users.

Both measures aim to curb exposure of children and adolescents to violent, abusive or otherwise harmful digital content and reflect a broader legislative push to protect minors online.