Brits call for VPN ban for minors to curb Online Safety Act loopholes August 20, 2025 A majority of Britons believe children under 18 should be banned from using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) following a recent surge, a survey has found. Research from YouGov found that 55 per cent of the public supports a ban for minors, while only 20 per cent think they should be allowed to use them. This [...]
MPs demand answers from Meta on finfluencers complaints June 6, 2025 An influential group of MPs has demanded that Meta outline its track record responding to requests to remove damaging content from finfluencers, after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) named the Facebook and Instagram owner as the sector’s worst offender. Chair of the Treasury Committee Meg Hillier issued a letter to the social media giant earlier [...]
Gen Z investors reliant on LinkedIn and TikTok finfluencers for advice May 28, 2025 Gen Z has led the charge in a growing trend of using social media for investment advice, according to new data from Charles Schwab. Over 70 per cent of Gen Z use social media and financial influencers – dubbed finfluencers – when making investment decisions, the data suggests. LinkedIn was valued as the top social [...]
Meta surges on bold AI spend – but tariff risks loom May 1, 2025 Meta platforms delivered strong first quarter earnings after market close on Wednesday, with revenue and profit surpassing Wall Street expectations thanks to continued growth in advertising and an aggressive push into AI. But the firm’s exposure to global trade tensions and regulatory headwinds in its European market present a complicated picture for investors evaluating the [...]
Meta launches ChatGPT rival app ahead of key earnings April 29, 2025 Meta platforms debuted its standalone AI app on Tuesday, marking its most direct move yet against OpenAI’s ChatGPT – and doing so just 24 hours ahead of its first earnings report of the year. The app, built on Meta’s llama models, features on AI assistant, image generation, and a ‘discover’ feed to showcase user prompts, [...]
Rising Ballers: From Foden DMs to Nike campaigns and multi-million revenue April 21, 2025 How three friends turned the Rising Ballers Instagram account into a lucrative content business, via Phil Foden, Jamal Edwards, Iliman Ndiaye and some big life decisions. Jamie Pollitt vividly remembers the day that changed his life. He was spending more time on his hobby – a social media account showcasing promising young footballers – than [...]
Will Zuckerberg have to sell WhatsApp and Instagram? April 14, 2025 Meta Platforms heads to trial on Monday in a landmark antitrust case that could force chief executive Mark Zuckerberg to sell Instagram and WhatsApp – two pillars of its $1.3 trillion (£1 trillion) empire. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has alleged that Meta, then Facebook, illegally bought Instagram in 2012, and WhatsApp two years later, [...]
Rory Sutherland: ‘I now understand how teenage celebrities feel like’ April 3, 2025 Spend enough time scrolling through on YouTube, TikTok or Instagram these days and it’s won’t take long for you to come across the most unlikely social media sensation of the last couple of years – Rory Sutherland. This 59-year-old Cambridge graduate and advertising executive has become a well-known face ever since an enterprising film student [...]
UK has become the epicentre of WhatsApp scams in Europe April 1, 2025 The UK has become the epicentre of WhatsApp scams in Europe, with British consumers losing more money on the platform than in any other country. Analysis compiled by Revolut revealed that in 2024, WhatsApp fraud accounted for 21 per cent of all reported scams in the UK, with victims losing an average of £2,437 per [...]
Elon Musk is wrong – we must never ‘move beyond’ the Holocaust January 27, 2025 Elon Musk addressed an AfD rally on the eve of Holocaust Memorial Day and said there was too much focus on Germany’s past. The rise of populism combined with the consolidation of the power of big tech should worry us all, says Jack Mendel This year’s Holocaust Memorial Day falls in the immediate aftermath of [...]