Ofcom has opened a formal investigation into Aylo, the owner of Pornhub, to determine whether the site's age verification system—introduced in May and reliant on Apple's third-party checks—actually prevents children from accessing pornography. The regulator says it has concerns Aylo may not have carried out sufficient testing before rolling out the process, which could breach the UK's Online Safety Act requirement for 'highly effective' age assurance.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-23
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.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-17
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.
wired.com
· 2026-09-17
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a proposal to bar children under 13 from using social media across all 27 EU member states. The plan also calls for supervised 'mini accounts' with restricted features for teens aged 13-15, and mandates 'safe design' standards for platforms serving 15-to-18-year-olds.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-16
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.
wired.com
· 2026-09-16
Australian lawmakers are considering new rules that would give users the ability to opt out of algorithm-driven content feeds on social media platforms. The move follows Australia's earlier push to ban social media access for teenagers, extending regulatory pressure on tech platforms operating in the country.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-08
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy told MPs the government will draft legislation requiring smartphone makers and app providers to prevent under-18s from taking or sharing nude photos. This follows a three-month deadline given in June to Apple and Google, whose voluntary commitments Nandy said still fall short of addressing the crisis. The law would extend blocking measures beyond device operating systems to individual apps used by children.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-08
Meta reached a settlement with attorneys general from 48 states and four US jurisdictions over teen safety practices on Facebook and Instagram, agreeing to pay up to $18 billion and implement stricter age verification, notification limits, and screentime caps for minors. Notably, roughly $5.3 billion of that payment is contingent on TikTok and YouTube adopting comparable restrictions, a structure Meta explicitly encouraged in a public letter to its rivals.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-27
Meta has agreed in the US to add safety features for children on Facebook and Instagram, including overnight access restrictions, usage time limits, and prompts for young users spending long periods on the apps. This falls short of the UK's own approach, which includes an outright social media ban for under-16s starting in 2027 and additional curfews for 16 and 17-year-olds.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-08-27
Meta has settled a lawsuit brought by attorneys general from nearly every US state accusing the company of designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to minors and misleading the public about platform safety. As part of the deal, Meta will pay $18 billion toward child online safety and youth mental health programs while rolling out new teen protections, including a two-hour daily usage cap and blocked access between midnight and 6 a.m.
zdnet.com
· 2026-08-27
A UK minister said officials have already instructed social media companies to remove videos glorifying dangerous driving, arguing platforms understand their algorithms and the financial incentives that reward outrageous content. Downing Street backed Ofcom to enforce action against non-compliant platforms, while TikTok said it proactively removes videos breaching its rules, including an account allegedly belonging to a driver named Saddington.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-08-24
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