Pressure shifts back to Big Tech as Ofcom delays social media ban Tech Tech firms have been warned to strengthen protections for young people online after MPs rejected a proposal to ban under-16s from social media this week. Communications regulator Ofcom and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) have written to major platforms, asking for details of how they plan to improve safety measures for children. Companies like Facebook, [...]
‘Fibremaxxing’: How food manufacturers made fibre cool again Retail “Fibremaxxing,” the UK’s new healthy eating trend, erupted at the start of 2026, as fibre replaced protein as the go-to fashionable food. Previously mundane, bland foods like prunes and seeded bread surged in popularity, with posts with the hashtags “fibremaxxing” having been viewed more than 150m times on TikTok. Sales of prunes increased 60 per [...]
MPs reject social media ban for under-16s Tech 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 [...]
Social media giants must do more to stamp out scam ads March 10, 2026 Social media platforms must take greater responsibility for combating AI-fuelled Authorised Push Payment (APP) fraud, which is costing consumers and payment service providers millions, says Lord McNicol Online shopping is easy, convenient and sometimes dangerous. The arrival of AI has seen an explosion in fake advertising online and the UK has become a prime target [...]
Banks push for tech giants to share scam ad costs March 5, 2026 Social media companies are facing renewed calls to help pay for tackling online fraud, as the UK prepares to unveil its updated national fraud strategy. The Payments Association said platforms like Meta Platforms and X should take greater responsibility for scam adverts that appear on their sites, arguing they profit from the ads, while banks [...]
Why you should put your CEO on Tiktok (from someone who’s done it) March 4, 2026 After a viral Tiktok video led to a spike in business enquiries, Riannon Palmer tells us about the power of founder-led storytelling.
UK considers social media curfew as under-16 ban looms March 2, 2026 The government is considering overnight curfews on social media and tighter restrictions on children’s access to AI chatbots as it prepares to launch what it describes as a “national conversation” on online safety. From Monday, parents and young people will be invited to take part in a consultation exploring measures that could include an Australia-style [...]
There’s no evidence that social media is killing teens February 26, 2026 Kemi Badenoch would have you believe we are in the midst of a terrifying epidemic of teen suicide to which the answer is a social media ban. But the data tells a different story, says Tom Harwood Politics needs more weirdos and misfits. When former Downing Street chief advisor Dominic Cummings put out the call [...]
Meta strikes AMD chip deal as AI spend continues to boom February 24, 2026 Meta has agreed a multiyear deal to buy up to six gigawatts of AI computing power from AMD, in an agreement valued at more than $100bn (£74.5bn) that could see the social media group take a stake of up to 10 per cent in the US chip giant. The companies said on Tuesday that Meta [...]
Reddit fined £14m over children’s data protection failures February 24, 2026 Social media platform Reddit has been fined £14.47m by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) after a probe found it unlawfully processed children’s personal information. The platform was also found to have failed to implement adequate age checks. The UK data protection regulator said the US-based company did not implement robust age assurance measures, meaning it [...]