TikTok
7 briefs
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.
The Tax That Has No Escape Hatch
Australia's new news levy charges Google, Meta, and TikTok for journalism whether they carry it or not. Meta already tried removing news to avoid paying. This time, that does not work.
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.
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.
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.
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.