THE Spanish government has just approved a royal decree that will define exactly what an online ‘influencer’ is. Among the criteria are income of at least €300,000 a year, more than a million followers on a video platform (or two million across all platforms used), and at least 24 videos published each year.
The new law is already in force, and will also require influencers to follow a series of regulations. These include specifying the age range for consumers of their content, as well as clearly labelling paid-for content – i.e. when posts are being used to advertise products in exchange for payment.
The regulations also set out time frames for when certain products can be promoted. These include alcohol, tobacco and electronic smoking products such as vapes, medication and gambling sites.
The new rules correspond to legal innovations made by the European Union, and will bring Spain into line with this framework.
Influencers whose activities correspond to the government’s requirements will have two months from now to sign up to a government register for suppliers of Audiovisual Communication Services.
The aim is to bring them in line with other traditional media, such as radio and television.
Spain is only the second European Union country to regulate the activity of its influencers, after France approved its own law back in the summer of 2023.