Sir Tim Berners-Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, supports banning social media for under-16s. He cites the dangers of intentionally addictive algorithms designed by major technology firms.
Speaking in Barcelona, the British computer scientist said he was “disappointed” with the current state of parts of the web he helped create.
Your browser does not support the video tag.
Berners-Lee delivered his remarks to an audience of over 500 developers and students at the Talent Arena conference, a major technology event held at Barcelona’s Fira de Montjuïc exhibition centre. He specifically called out platforms like TikTok for engineering dependency and urged developers to disable such systems.
“These pieces of the web are a problem,” Berners-Lee stated. He developed the world’s first web browser at CERN in the early 1990s. He argued that technology companies make a conscious decision to prioritise engagement over user wellbeing.
“You have the choice when you’re designing these systems whether to make them addictive or not,” he told the audience of tech professionals. He contrasted what he sees as a highly addictive platform with a less harmful one.
“Pinterest and TikTok are two different social networks, but one of them is much more addictive than the other.”
A Global Debate Lands in Barcelona
Berners-Lee, a professor at the University of Oxford and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), referenced recent Australian legislation and a similar Spanish debate. These served as catalysts for his position. The call to better protect minors online resonates with local concerns over child safety, such as the recent high-profile case of a fake L’hospitalet pastor who was jailed for abusing minors.
The Turing Award laureate recounted a recent visit to Australia, where he observed that not all young people were against a potential ban. “I think some of them have discovered that having a world where they can play without mobile phones with their friends is quite comforting,” he said.
His comments add significant weight to a growing global movement advocating for stricter regulation of social media’s impact on youth mental health and development. As the founder of the World Wide Web Foundation, Berners-Lee’s critique comes from a uniquely authoritative position, underscoring a rift between the web’s original, open-access vision and its current commercial reality.
Talent Arena Shines at MWC
The Talent Arena, an event rapidly establishing itself as one of Europe’s leading technology conferences, hosted these significant remarks. Held from March 2 to 4, 2026, the conference is part of the sprawling Mobile World Congress ecosystem, organised by Mobile World Capital Barcelona.
The 2026 edition, which features over 200 talks, brings together professionals from top global tech companies. Other notable speakers this year include Boston Dynamics AI researcher Kate Darling and the musician and entrepreneur Steve Aoki. According to a report from Catalan News, organisers expect to meet or exceed the 20,000 visitors recorded at the 2025 event, cementing its role as a crucial hub for tech talent and discourse in Barcelona.
