SPAIN: Social Media Ban & more – 5th Feb 2026

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 5th of February twenty twenty-six. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

First up this week, on Monday the 2nd, he defended plans to regularize around 500,000 undocumented migrants and asylum seekers, framing the move as a choice rooted in dignity, community and justice.

Since the ruling went public last week, social media, news outlets, and opposition parties have been sharing criticism, with Sánchez firmly rejecting allegations that the policy goes too far.

The ruling itself stems from a citizens’ initiative backed by more than 700,000 signatures, the Catholic church and hundreds of social organizations. Political analysts say Sánchez is shifting even further left politically to counter domestic pressures and distinguish Spain from tougher anti-migration stances elsewhere in Europe and the US.

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Speaking of Sánchez, on Tuesday the 3rd, President Pedro Sánchez announced at the World Government Summit in Dubai that Spain will ban social media platforms for children under sixteen and require companies to introduce strict age-verification systems.

Sánchez argued that social media has become a failed state where laws go unenforced and harmful behavior thrives, pledging to protect children from what he called the digital Wild West.

The Spanish government will also introduce a bill next week to hold social media executives legally accountable for illegal and hateful content shared on their platforms. The move follows Australia’s world-first ban on social media for under-16s, which was introduced in December twenty twenty-five and led to the removal of millions of underage accounts.

In the east of Spain, on Tuesday, the 3rd, the opposition parties of the Valencian government reported that homelessness in Valencia had increased significantly since twenty twenty-three, accusing the current Partido Popular (PP)-Vox city government of failing to update the official homeless census.

The last count in twenty twenty-three recorded just over 800 homeless people, but the opposition coalition, Compromís, estimates the figure has risen to just over 3,400 since María José Catalá became mayor.

The coalition bases its claim on twenty twenty-five data from the city council showing thousands of applications for special municipal registration from people living on the streets or without a fixed address.

The Valencia city government denied Compromís’s allegations, saying the rise in numbers statistically is due to bureaucratic delays and other factors.

On Monday the 2nd, British pop collective Chumbawamba called on Spain’s far-right Vox party to stop using their nineteen ninety-seven hit, Tubthumping, after the party featured the song in a post on social media attacking migration.

Santiago Abascal, Vox’s leader, shared images from a campaign visit to Caspe, Eastern Spain, ahead of Aragón’s regional election, saying locals were fed up with what he called a migratory invasion, and set the post to the song’s defiant chorus.

Chumbawamba said Abascal had fundamentally misunderstood the track, which they wrote as an anthem for underdogs resisting power. The band described Vox’s agenda as small-minded and hate-fuelled, adding that their song stood for hope and community, and asked Facebook to remove the video.

Up next, on Tuesday the 3rd, Spain’s competition watchdog CNMC announced it had fined national oil giant Repsol twenty million euros for anti-competitive margin-squeeze practices that it says harmed independent petrol stations.

CNMC ruled that Repsol raised wholesale fuel prices for independent operators while offering additional discounts to customers at its own stations, squeezing rivals’ margins.

The company said it will appeal, insisting the regulator failed to consider the exceptional circumstances of twenty twenty-two, when fuel prices increased following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Repsol maintains that its pricing strategy complied with regulations, was overseen by government authorities, and did not exclude competitors or distort the market. The CNMC countered that Repsol exploited its dominant position to regain the market share it had lost since twenty nineteen.

In health news, on Monday, the 2nd, a Barcelona hospital made history as the first hospital to perform a pioneering face transplant using tissue donated by a woman who requested assisted dying.

The Vall d’Hebron hospital said the complex operation involved transplanting composite tissue from the face and required around 100 specialists, including psychiatrists and immunologists.

The donor chose to offer her face before undergoing assisted dying, a decision the hospital’s transplant coordinator, Elisabeth Navas, described as an extraordinary act of generosity. The recipient, identified only as Carme, had suffered severe facial tissue necrosis following a bacterial infection caused by an insect bite, which left her unable to speak, eat or see properly. She said her recovery was going well and that she was beginning to recognize herself again.

Another week, and another storm causing chaos. On Tuesday, the 3rd, the State Meteorological Agency announced that the Iberian Peninsula was preparing for another major storm as Storm Leonardo approaches southwest Europe, raising fears of renewed flooding and damage after last week’s deadly Storm Kristin.

Portugal’s weather agency, IPMA, reported that Leonardo started to affect mainland Portugal on Tuesday afternoon, and that Spain would feel the impact on Wednesday. Forecasters expect persistent heavy rain and coastal wind gusts across the Peninsula throughout the week.

Last week, Storm Kristin killed at least six people and unleashed winds exceeding 200 km/h (127 miles). Storm Leonardo isn’t expected to be as bad, but meteorologists think it still poses serious risks, especially in already damaged regions.

The government has issued severe flood alerts, with some southern areas expecting significant rainfall over just twenty-four hours.

Shifting gears, on Tuesday the 3rd, tennis player Carlos Alcaraz returned home after sealing his place in tennis history with a maiden Australian Open title and completing the Career Grand Slam at just twenty-two years old. The world number one lifted his seventh major trophy in Melbourne, becoming the youngest player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles.

Allcaraz defeated seven opponents at Melbourne Park, including a match against ten-time champion Novak Djokovic.

After returning home, Alcaraz said he would rest and celebrate with family and friends, withdrawing from the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam. He plans to resume competition in Doha, Qatar, later this month, after a short break following his historic triumph.

Down south now to Andalucia. On Monday, the 2nd, the seaside town of Almuñécar announced it would unveil the first elements of its new underwater sculpture park by spring twenty twenty-six, as part of a major step to protecting Granada’s tropical coast.

The Parque Azul de Vida Submarina will feature submerged sculptures inspired by the town’s long history, including Phoenician, Roman and Islamic influences.

According to local councillor Francisco Rodríguez, the first figures are already being manufactured and will soon be installed on the seabed. The nearly 900,000 euros project aims to recreate emblematic local elements such as arches, mosaics and historical remains in an underwater setting that also encourages marine biodiversity.

Still in Andalucia, this week, three historic lighthouses along Granada’s Tropical Coast are undergoing essential restoration work to preserve both their operational role and cultural value.

The restoration includes dismantling and repairing the lighthouse’s metal structure, replacing more than eighty specially shaped glass panels crafted by specialist workshops, and addressing corrosion and water damage in surrounding areas.

The project aims to safeguard landmarks dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, which continue to light Granada’s coastline and remain powerful symbols of its maritime heritage.

Closing this episode with a cultural note, Spain’s long-standing preference for dubbed films has its roots in the Franco dictatorship, according to an opinion piece by Anita Katsarska for Sur, which examines how politics shaped the country’s viewing habits.

During Franco’s rule, dubbing foreign films into Spanish was used as a tool of control, limiting exposure to other languages and cultures while promoting a single, state-approved worldview. Even though the dictatorship ended decades ago, dubbing remains the dominant format in Spanish cinemas.

Katsarska, who grew up watching subtitled films, argues that original versions help audiences engage more deeply with performances and support language learning. However, she also acknowledges dubbing as a respected art form that improves accessibility for audiences of different ages, literacy levels and abilities. The article raises the question of whether dubbing still isolates viewers from the outside world or has been reclaimed as a democratic choice.

Check out the full article in English with the link in the show notes!

Aaand that’s it for this week! Thank you for joining us!

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¡Hasta la próxima!