children
26 briefs
Spain Is Moving to Ban Teenagers from Social Media While Making Executives Personally Liable for Hate Speech
Madrid is advancing the most aggressive digital regulation in Europe, personally targeting platform leadership at a moment when Elon Musk is fighting back -- and when the EU's Digital Fairness Act is still being written.
Von der Leyen Wants to Delay Children's Access to Social Media. The Question Is Delay It Until When.
The EU is proposing a 'social media delay' for kids, backed by an age-verification app that is ready to deploy. Ten member states already have different rules. A summer legal proposal could unify them. Or not.
Germany Wants to Ban Social Media for Kids Under 14. The Age Verification Problem Will Break It.
The SPD's proposal uses the EU Digital Identity Wallet as the enforcement mechanism. That is either a serious policy or a data collection system with a safety branding.
New Mexico Wants to Redesign Instagram. Meta Says It Will Leave the State First.
A judge who calls himself a reluctant legislator must now decide whether a state AG can force a global platform to change its algorithm. The answer will determine whether courts can regulate what Congress won't.
Every Government Is Banning Children from Social Media. None of Them Know If It Works.
The UK has now passed mandatory social media restrictions for under-16s. Canada, California, and Sri Lanka are following. The policy is running ahead of the evidence.
The UK Banned Social Media for Kids. It Just Doesn't Know How Yet.
The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act passed last week with a mandatory July 2027 deadline for under-16 restrictions. The government has not yet named the platforms, the age verification method, or whether ISPs will be required to block VPNs.
Norway, Indonesia, and Australia Are Banning Social Media for Under-16s. Meta Is Threatening to Leave States That Try It.
A global wave of age restriction laws is converging on the same question New Mexico is testing in court: can a government force a platform to redesign itself, or does it have to accept the platform leaving instead?
Indonesia Just Made Roblox Scan Children's Faces. No Other Country Has Done This.
Under a new law called PP TUNAS, Roblox must verify the age of its 23 million Indonesian child users through facial recognition. It is the first country to extend age verification rules to gaming platforms.
The EU Charged Meta With Letting Children Onto Instagram. Meta Said It Uses Self-Declared Birthdays.
European regulators say Meta violated the Digital Services Act by relying on birthdate fields that anyone can fill in with any date. This is the first major DSA enforcement action against a social media company.
The Enforcement Problem No One Wants to Name
The UK, Norway, and Manitoba all committed to restricting social media for under-16s this week. Australia, which did it first in December, has found that 70% of affected children still have access.
The World Is Copying Australia's Teen Social Media Ban. Australia's Is Already Failing.
Four months after Australia became the first country to ban social media for under-16s, 61% of affected teens are still on the platforms, and Turkey, Norway, Manitoba, and a dozen US states are lining up to enact the same policy.
The Big Tobacco Moment That Isn't
Two landmark verdicts against Meta and Google have parents lobbying Congress. The companies will appeal. The real question is whether the courtroom victory can survive Section 230 and the First Amendment.
Turkey Bans Social Media for Under-15s. The Global Wave Just Got Bigger.
A school shooting triggered the law. Erdogan's political agenda is sustaining it. The question is whether any country that bans children from social media is actually protecting them or just building surveillance infrastructure with parental consent.
The Kids App Ban That Big Tech Will Actually Win
Norway and Turkey both moved today to block children from social media. The courts found Meta liable last month. The laws will pass. The platforms will comply on paper and change almost nothing.
A Jury Said Meta and Google Addicted a Child. Congress Is About to Try to Help.
The $6 million verdict in KGM v. Meta cracked Section 230 on product design. Now Britt and Fetterman are pushing Senate bills that have been stalled for a year. The courts may move faster than Congress.
A Federal Judge Blocked Arkansas's Social Media Age Law. This Is the Third Time.
NetChoice keeps winning in court. States keep passing new versions of the same law. Neither side is trying to resolve the constitutional question. They are trying to outlast each other.
England Is Making the Phone Ban in Schools a Legal Requirement. Most Schools Already Have One.
The UK government is turning existing guidance into law through the Children's Wellbeing Bill. The real story is not what changes in classrooms. It is what this signals about who controls the terms of the debate over children and screens.
The Social Media Ban That Already Failed
Australia's under-16 ban went global this week as governments launched an EU age-verification app, a world leaders summit, and Australian legal threats. The app was hacked in two minutes.
The Ban That Made VPNs Mandatory
Australia banned social media for under-16s in December. Four months later, 61% of affected teens still have access. Now the UK and US are considering the same approach.
Parliament Voted Down the Ban. Starmer Called Tech CEOs Into Downing Street Anyway.
The UK government rejected an immediate social media ban for under-16s while simultaneously signaling it might do exactly that. The question is not whether it happens but who has to take the credit.
Five Countries, One Law They Cannot Write
Canada, Australia, the EU, and multiple US states are all trying to ban social media for minors. None of them know how to enforce it.
The EU Just Built the Infrastructure to Ban Children from Social Media. The Harder Question Is Who Decides What a Child Is.
Von der Leyen announced an EU age verification app today. Canada is going further and applying the same logic to AI chatbots. The technology exists. The politics are just beginning.
The Ban That Moves Children Underground
Australia's under-16 social media ban has failed: two-thirds of affected teens are still on banned platforms. The UK and Massachusetts are about to copy the same approach.
Designed to Hook
A California jury found Meta and YouTube liable for building addictive platforms that harmed a child. The verdict targets architecture, not content.
The Under-16 Consensus
The US House, Canada's Liberal Party, Australia's eSafety regulator, and Massachusetts have all moved this week to restrict or ban children's social media use. The policy idea has gone global. The implementation gap is enormous.
The Government Parent Arrives
Greece bans social media for under-15s, joining a global shift where governments override parental authority over children's digital lives.