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social media

11 briefs

decision 2026-04-17

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.

power 2026-04-16

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.

power 2026-04-15

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.

ethics 2026-04-14

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.

ethics 2026-04-13

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.

ethics 2026-04-12

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.

power 2026-04-11

The Law That Teenagers Broke in a Week

Australia's under-16 social media ban has been in force for four months. The regulator says platforms are failing. A 15-year-old named Noah is fighting it in court. Both things can be true.

power 2026-04-11

The Government That Pressed the Mute Button

The DOJ settled a lawsuit confirming the Biden State Department funded tools to suppress protected speech on social media. The settlement admits more than it resolves.

ethics 2026-04-08

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.

power 2026-04-08

Meta's AI Mulligan

A 'ground-up overhaul' with Muse Spark reveals how far behind Meta fell in the AI race. and how desperate they are to catch up.

decision 2026-04-08

Social Media's Tobacco Moment

A jury just declared Instagram and YouTube liable for addiction. and tech's legal immunity era might be over.