UK ministers launch a consultation on whether to ban under-16s from using social media, alongside restrictions on addictive app features like infinite scrolling
Move comes as peers prepare to vote on an amendment to a bill that would enact a ban within a year of the bill passing
Ofcom outlines 40+ child safety measures for websites and apps to introduce from July 2025 or face large fines under the Online Safety Act, including age checks
Companies will be legally required to block children's access to harmful content under UK's Online Safety Act or face large fines
The UK's Ofcom says the Online Safety Act, passed in 2023 to govern illegal material on internet platforms, has taken effect, and plans to expand it in 2025
- Ofcom released first guidelines for Online Safety Act — Rules require firms to remove illegal content or face fines
Instagram unveils Teen Accounts, a sweeping update to boost privacy and limit intrusive effects for under-18 users, including making accounts private by default
The app, which is popular with teenagers, introduced new settings and features aimed at addressing inappropriate online contact and content …
Researcher Sonia Livingstone says constraining tech companies and empowering young people and parents are better alternatives to banning kids from social media
Henry Mance / Financial Times : X: @soph_butch , @henrymance , @mollyroseorg , @henrymance , @cooksimon , @katebevan , @henrymance , @alecmuffett , @ciesiolkiewicz , @henrymance ,...
As Meta lowers the minimum age for WhatsApp users from 16 to 13 in the UK and EU, after announcing the move in February, child safety groups criticize the move
Jamie Grierson / The Guardian :
A recap of the US Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on kids' online safety, with testimony from the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X, Snap, and Discord
Microsoft and X say they support the Kids Online Safety Act; Meta, Discord, and TikTok demur, citing criticism from groups or supporting only some parts of KOSA
how much they care & the promises—are empty. It is the voices & stories of the advocates who joined me today that will create real change. We will win this fight for the Kids Onlin...
Meta partners with the Center for Open Science to share data for researching online well-being, before January 31's Congressional hearing on kids' online safety
Ofcom's CEO on the regulator's new powers to police tech: kids are the first priority, companies must detect and remove CSAM, and working in harmony with the EU
Where the laws have different scope, it's important that implementing them does not create conflicts for companies
The UK's controversial Online Safety Bill becomes law, allowing fines of up to £18M or 10% of global turnover; Ofcom now plans to publish its codes of practice
Our new regulatory framework for enhancing online safety has just become law, and now the real work begins. … Forums: r/antipornography : The UK moves closer to protecting children...
The UK's controversial Online Safety Bill becomes law, imposing fines of up to £18M or 10% of global turnover; Ofcom now plans to publish a code of practice
The UK's Online Safety Bill, a wide-ranging piece of legislation that aims to make the country “the safest place in the world to be online” …
The UK's parliament passes the Online Safety Bill, in the works since 2019, paving the way for Royal Assent and the bill becoming law in the coming days
Controversial UK legislation that brings in a new regime of content moderation rules for online platforms and services …
How the UK's Online Safety Bill became an overwrought law that may not achieve its aims due to repeated policy changes by four prime ministers since 2019
LONDON — Britain's attempt to rein in the internet has turned into a political omnishambles. — The country's masterplan …
Instagram launches Notes, its AIM-like text status feature, in Europe and Japan, delayed to comply with local laws, expanding on Asia, North America, and LatAm
Jay Peters / The Verge :
Instagram rolls out Quiet Mode, which silences notifications, auto-replies to DMs, and informs friends, and plans to prompt teens to enable the feature at night
especially teens — manage their time and what they see on Instagram: - Quiet Mode - Hidden Words for Recommendations - Not Interested Multi-Select https://about.instagram.com/ ... ...
The UK government says the updated Online Safety Bill won't force tech giants to remove content that is “legal but harmful”, following free speech complaints
Britain will not force tech giants to remove content that is “legal but harmful” from their platforms after campaigners …
The UK government says the updated Online Safety Bill won't force tech giants to remove content that is “legal but harmful”, following free speech complaints
Britain will not force tech giants to remove content that is “legal but harmful” from their platforms after campaigners …
The UK plans to criminalize self-harm content in the updated Online Safety Bill, in line with suicide content, after the death of teenager Molly Russell in 2017
The encouragement of self-harm will be criminalised in an update to the Online Safety Bill, the government has said.
Source: the UK plans to remove the Online Safety Bill's controversial “legal but harmful” content rules, leaving them only for material targeted at children
EXCLUSIVEThe Bill is due to be brought back to Parliament later this month after it was delayed over the summer