Uruguay weighs social media limits

In Uruguay, lawmaker Felipe Schipani has introduced a bill that would ban social media access for children under 15 and create new obligations for digital platforms. At the same time, the Central Bank of Uruguay is planning an Open Finance proposal for 2026, and the lower house is advancing a legal framework for autonomous vehicles. The initiatives combine tighter controls, data rules and security requirements.

What does the social media bill for minors propose?

Schipani's bill would prohibit social media access for children under 15 and create a stronger protection regime for teenagers between 15 and 17. That framework would require maximum privacy by default, block contact with unknown adults, disable public geolocation, limit nighttime notifications and ban advertising based on personal data profiling.

The text makes platforms solely responsible for compliance and provides for warnings, orders to correct violations and fines of up to 10,000 reajustable units. In serious or repeated cases, penalties could reach 20,000 reajustable units, along with the possibility of a temporary judicial block.

The proposal also requires companies with a significant user base in Uruguay to have a legal representative and a registered address in the country, so they can receive notices and respond to information requests from authorities. According to coverage, Agesic would be the enforcement authority, working with the Personal Data Regulatory and Control Unit, the Ministry of Public Health, INAU and ANEP, among other agencies.

What does the Central Bank of Uruguay plan for Open Finance?

The Central Bank of Uruguay expects to draft a bill proposal on Open Finance in 2026. The agency is working on a model aimed at giving users greater control over their financial data and defining a minimum public infrastructure for interoperability.

What does the autonomous vehicle bill establish?

A bill introduced by Colorado Party lawmaker Mauricio Viera seeks to create a legal framework for the circulation of autonomous vehicles in Uruguay. The initiative adds cybersecurity and data storage requirements for those systems.

According to the text, manufacturers, importers or representatives would have to register the system's international approval with Unasev and report software updates.

What does the regional regulatory agenda show?

Chile's Chamber of Deputies Science Committee discussed consolidated bills on the protection of children and adolescents on social media on August 10, 2026, and also began considering a proposal that would require digital platforms to establish a domicile in Chile. Across the region, the regulatory agenda appears concentrated in three areas: platform oversight, data requirements and the security of automated systems.