Sheinbaum unveils digital safety decree for minors following Torreón school attack
President Claudia Sheinbaum presented a presidential decree Friday designed to create safer digital environments for Mexican children and adolescents, following last week's fatal machete attack at a Torreón secondary school that left a vice principal dead and four others injured.
The decree, announced by presidential legal adviser Luisa María Alcalde at the morning press conference, prohibits social media platforms and other digital sites from displaying or recommending content to minors that promotes hate speech, violent extremism, sexual exploitation, suicide, self-harm, eating disorders, cyberbullying or other illegal conduct.
The measure comes as Mexico grapples with a troubling pattern of school violence. The country has experienced at least 25 attacks inside schools over a 12-year period, highlighting a broader national crisis beyond the recent Torreón incident. The northern industrial city has been particularly affected—in January 2020, an 11-year-old student at Colegio Cervantes opened fire, killing a teacher and injuring six others before taking his own life in an attack inspired by the Columbine massacre.
Last week's Torreón attack was allegedly carried out by 18-year-old twin brothers, former students at Number 13 Secondary School in the Ejido La Unión area. Authorities said the suspects were exposed to extremist ideology and learned about perpetrators of violent attacks through social media forums.
However, the digital safety initiative predates the recent violence. In July, Sheinbaum had announced plans to hold three regional forums in Nuevo León, Chiapas and Guerrero during August and September to gather public input on children's use of social media and artificial intelligence before drafting legislative proposals. The decree represents the culmination of that consultation process rather than solely a reaction to the Torreón incident.
Alcalde explained that the decree applies to digital platforms enabling user communication and content sharing.
It's based on the Mexican Constitution, which establishes the protection of girls, boys and adolescents
Sheinbaum said.
The president added that her legal team and the Digital Transformation Agency would continue refining the decree over the coming days to ensure it remains within executive branch authority. Officials may also consult with digital platforms directly. The decree is expected to be published in the government's official gazette on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Hurricane Simon threatens Pacific coast
National Civil Protection chief Laura Velázquez warned that Hurricane Simon, a Category 1 storm Friday morning, could intensify to Category 3 or 4 before making landfall this weekend along Mexico's Pacific coast near Jalisco and Colima.
The hurricane formed as a tropical storm on October 7 and is forecast to produce between 8 and 15 inches of rain across southwestern Mexico, with isolated areas in parts of Colima and Michoacán potentially receiving up to 25 inches.
Velázquez identified five municipalities in Jalisco—Cihuatlán, La Huerta, Tomatlán, Cabo Corrientes and Puerto Vallarta—along with Manzanillo in Colima as potential impact zones.
It's still too early to determine the exact category and the exact point of entry, but in the course of the day today, we may be able to obtain precise information
she said, urging residents to monitor official channels for updates.
Deadly prison violence in Mazatlán escalates
Sheinbaum confirmed that Security Cabinet officials briefed her Friday morning on Thursday's deadly prison riot in Mazatlán, Sinaloa, which left nine inmates and a two-year-old boy dead.
The violence erupted around 10:30 a.m. local time during family visiting hours at El Castillo prison. The shooting began in Module 4 before spreading to other areas of the facility. The young victim was the son of a woman visiting her incarcerated husband; she had temporarily left the child at the prison while picking up another child from school.
Sixteen prisoners were injured in the clash between rival inmate groups, and authorities seized at least two 9-millimeter handguns while investigating how the weapons entered the facility. Among the dead was an inmate known as "El Owen," reportedly a member of Los Chapitos, one of two warring factions within the Sinaloa Cartel.
The conflict between Los Chapitos and Los Mayos factions has raged since September 9, 2024, following the transfer of Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada to U.S. authorities by members of the Chapitos faction. The infighting has resulted in more than 4,000 deaths or disappearances across Sinaloa over the past two years.
The crisis at El Castillo deepened Friday when a second riot claimed two more lives, demonstrating the ongoing volatility within Sinaloa's prison system.
Sheinbaum said Security Cabinet officials are working with interim Sinaloa Governor Graciela Domínguez to
strengthen the penitentiary system in Sinaloa.
She added that prison authorities would contact relatives of the deceased and that investigators would examine the causes of the dispute.
I expect that the governor will be able to provide information
the president said.
AIFA expansion continues
In other news, Felipe Ángeles International Airport director Isidoro Pastor reported that the facility now serves 47 destinations, up from just seven when it opened in 2022. The Army-built airport has steadily expanded operations as part of the government's effort to decentralize air traffic from Mexico City's Benito Juárez International Airport.
