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Tech News
At the Fast Company Innovation Festival, a panel of experts discussed how parents can guide children through today's AI-driven technology landscape. The discussion framed current challenges as an evolution of earlier debates over children's screen and TV time.
Apple executive chairman Tim Cook met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to discuss the proposed EU Kids Act. Von der Leyen said on X that the two agreed on the importance of privacy, safety and security for children online, part of a wider push by the bloc on child safety regulation.
The European Commission unveiled a plan to bar children under 13 from social media, allowing parent-supervised accounts for ages 13 to 15. To enforce this, Brussels has built its own free, open-source age-verification app, being piloted in Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy and Spain, with full EU rollout expected by end of 2026.
The European Commission unveiled the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would ban social media accounts for children under 13, mandate age verification, and force companies like Meta, Google, YouTube and Roblox to prove their platforms are safely designed. President Ursula von der Leyen said the law shifts the burden of proof onto platforms and gives parents more control over children's online experiences. The measure still needs to go through debate and a vote before becoming law.
The European Commission unveiled the EU Kids Act, a proposal that would bar children under 13 from social media entirely, require parental-managed sub-accounts with restrictions for 13- and 14-year-olds, and only allow independent accounts at 15. The plan also mandates platforms remove addictive design features like infinite scroll, nighttime notifications, and unsolicited contact from strangers, while requiring AI chatbots be disabled by default for minors.
The European Commission has proposed the EU Kids Act, which would prohibit chatbots from mimicking emotions or personal relationships when interacting with users under 18. The draft law also bars children under 13 from using chatbots without parental supervision, prevents chatbots from retaining memory across separate conversations, and stops platforms from auto-activating or prominently placing AI companions in minors' contact lists. Companies that fail to build in these child-safety protections could face fines up to 6% of their global turnover.
A new survey finds that over three-quarters of parents say support from Boomer grandparents has become essential to affording the cost of raising children. Rather than singling out big-ticket items like daycare or college savings, the survey points to everyday expenses as the source of the strain that's pushing families to lean on grandparents.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled plans to bar children under 13 from social media across all EU member states, part of an EU Kids Act being formally introduced this week. Teens aged 13 to 15 would only be permitted limited, parent-supervised mini accounts capped at one hour daily, while platforms face new safety design rules for users up to 18.
Spotify has introduced a new setting that lets users prevent music played for children from influencing their personalized recommendations and year-end Wrapped summary. The toggle allows adults sharing an account with kids to isolate nursery rhymes and children's music from skewing their listening data.
Spotify rolled out a new setting that lets account holders exclude children's and family music from their taste profile, keeping it out of Wrapped summaries and personalized recommendations. The feature is available now on mobile for both Free and Premium users worldwide and works automatically once turned on.
The European Union is preparing the EU Kids Act, a proposed law that goes beyond social media to limit children's access to video platforms, chatbots and online games. Under the draft, minors would face tiered restrictions by age, ranging from no access for under-3s to parent-supervised accounts and eventual independent access at 15, with mandatory age checks before signup or download.
Yoto has announced a fourth-generation Yoto Player and a refreshed Yoto Mini, both aimed at kids' audio listening without needing a smartphone. The new Player adds a green dial for quick access to up to 20 favorite tracks or stories without inserting a Yoto Card, plus 64GB storage, faster downloads and simplified routine settings. The redesigned Mini is now rugged and water/dust-resistant, holds up to 1,000 hours of audio, and also supports card-free playback via the same green button.