Meta trial risks reputational damage that ‘dwarfs’ financial hit Tech Meta faces a reputational hit that could “dwarf” even the potentially colossal financial penalties if it loses a landmark US trial over claims it deliberately made Instagram and Facebook addictive to children. The tech giant goes to trial in California today in one of the biggest legal tests yet of the way social media platforms [...]
TikTok loses court battle over £12.7m child privacy fine Tech TikTok has lost an appeal against a £12.7m fine from the UK’s data protection regulator for illegally processing the data of over 1.4m children under the age of 13. The watchdog hit TikTok with the penalty in April 2023 for breaching the UK’s data protection law, the GDPR, for unlawfully processing the data of children [...]
Sadiq Khan urges tougher Ofcom action as UK prepares social media ban rules Tech Sadiq Khan has called on social media companies to change algorithms that promote violent and misogynistic material, as London launches a £5m programme to tackle the effect of online harms on young people. The mayor of London also believes the state should be ready to intervene where platforms cannot or will not change their recommendation [...]
4chan ridicules Ofcom again as watchdog chases unpaid £520k fine July 2, 2026 4chan has again mocked Ofcom after the regulator renewed demands for the controversial image generator to pay its £520,000 Online Safety Act fine, prompting its lawyer to respond with another AI-generated hamster. Preston Byrne, the US lawyer representing 4chan, posted on X on Thursday: “Ofcom wrote. Again. Demanding that 4chan pay its fine. Sent us [...]
Starmer urged to press ahead with under-16 social media ban as decision nears June 6, 2026 Keir Starmer has been urged to press ahead with a social media ban for under-16s after a group of leading doctors warned ministers not to mistake early attempts by children to bypass restrictions as evidence that such policies do not work. The intervention comes as the government prepares to decide whether Britain will introduce some [...]
Starmer prepares child social media curbs as pressure mounts on addictive apps May 27, 2026 The government is preparing to tighten restrictions on children’s social media use after a consultation that drew more than 81,000 responses, with ministers expected to target the design of major platforms rather than impose a blanket ban for under-16s. New measures under consideration include restrictions on autoplay videos, infinite scrolling, push notifications, overnight access and [...]
Ofcom launches probe into Telegram over child safety failures April 21, 2026 The UK’s communications regulator has launched a probe into Telegram after evidence emerged that child sexual abuse material was being shared on the platform. Ofcom announced on Tuesday that it has also opened investigations into teen chat sites Teen Chat and Chat Avenue, assessing whether the platforms are meeting their legal duties to protect children [...]
MPs reject social media ban for under-16s March 10, 2026 MPs have voted down a proposal to ban under-16s from using social media, after toying with the idea of following Australia’s nationwide law. The amendment, tabled by Conservatives to the children’s wellbeing and schools bill, was defeated in the House of Commons on Monday evening, by 307 votes to 173. The measure had already been [...]
Starmer orders tech giants to delete abusive content within 48 hours February 19, 2026 Tech companies will be legally required to remove non-consensual intimate images within 48 hours, or face heavy fines and potential UK blocks, under new measures unveiled by the Prime Minister The proposals, introduced through an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill, require platforms to act swiftly once content is flagged. Companies that fail to [...]
Trump official warns UK on ‘Russia-style’ X ban after Grok row January 11, 2026 A key Trump administration official has sent the UK a firm warning following speculation Elon Musk’s X platform may face a ban after a scandal around AI-generated images. Sarah Rogers, under-secretary for public diplomacy at the US State Department, issued a series of messages criticising the UK on the rumoured ban. Rogers said the UK [...]