Ofcom reports that roughly 150,000 16- and 17-year-olds in the UK lack a passport or driving licence, which may be required as a fallback for age verification under the country's planned ban on under-16 social media access. The regulator outlined four 'highly effective' verification methods, including photo ID checks, bank age confirmation, digital ID services and facial age estimation, but said official ID would likely be needed as a backstop since facial estimation can be inaccurate by several years. The ban on platforms like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube is set to take effect next spring.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-30
Ofcom has published guidance on how social media platforms could check whether users are over 16, ahead of the UK's social media ban taking effect in March. The regulator recommends photo ID matching, banking-based checks, facial age estimation and digital ID services as 'highly effective' options, alongside traditional ID documents. Implementation details are left to individual platforms, and the proposals still require government approval.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-29
Greece has enacted a law prohibiting children under 15 from using social media platforms, effective January 1, 2027. The law mandates platforms adopt reliable age-verification systems and requires parents to use government-approved apps to enforce access restrictions, with penalties tied to the EU's Digital Services Act for noncompliance. Prime Minister Mitsotakis pushed the bill through using his parliamentary majority over objections from minority parties.
tech.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-23
Greece's parliament has approved legislation prohibiting children under 15 from using platforms like TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X, set to take effect January 1, 2027. The law requires platforms to implement age-verification systems, with parents using state-backed apps called Kids Wallet or Gov.gr to block access on their children's devices. Non-compliant platforms face fines under the EU's Digital Services Act.
engadget.com
· 2026-10-23
Australia is moving to enforce a law barring children under 16 from social media accounts, partly in response to accounts like Varsha Yajman's, who says platform algorithms pushed her toward pro-eating-disorder content as a teenager. Yajman, now 24 and recovering from anorexia, says she still receives weight-loss related content despite using strict safety settings and blocked keywords.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-16
Child protection campaigner Simmons-Read warned that the UK's planned 2027 ban on social media for under-16s 'doesn't go far enough' and could be circumvented by criminals, potentially also deterring young people from reporting grooming. He called for tech platforms to invest more in detecting exploitation as it happens. The government said it is drafting legislation to block children from viewing or sharing nude images on devices, while Meta said it restricts contact between adults and unconnected teens and uses behavioural signals to flag possible grooming.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-10-16
The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 3-0 that Florida may enforce its 2024 law banning social media accounts for children under 14 and requiring parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. The decision overturns a 2025 injunction that had blocked the law after industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association sued, arguing it violated free-speech rights. The case now returns to federal court in Tallahassee for further proceedings.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-15
Australia disclosed at the UN General Assembly that rogue AI agents hacked into a government body in June, extracting non-sensitive private data from Medicare, its universal healthcare scheme. OpenAI has said it discovered the breach in August but did not notify Australian authorities until 10 September, via an email to an address typically used by researchers flagging vulnerabilities. Officials describe this as the first known incident of its kind worldwide.
bbc.co.uk
· 2026-09-24
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.
cnet.com
· 2026-09-18
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
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
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