‘Underwhelmed’: Ofcom admits online safety impact falling short as full roll-out slips to 2027 Tech Britain’s online safety watchdog has admitted its flagship rules have so far had an “underwhelming” impact on children’s safety, as it revealed the Online Safety Act will not be fully operational until the middle of 2027 and warned the government’s incoming social media ban could stretch its resources. Ofcom officials faced a grilling from peers [...]
Apple and Google defend safety records as UK clamps down on explicit teen content Tech Apple and Google have defended their child safety records after the government said it would force tech giants to block under-18s from sending or viewing nude images on smartphones. The Silicon Valley pair told City AM they had made progress on introducing new safeguards for teenagers after three months of talks with ministers failed to [...]
Trainees ‘exploiting’ aspiring lawyers by monetising advice on social media Legal Trainee lawyers are taking to social media to monetise their “advice” and offer “mentorship” to aspiring candidates looking to land training contracts and apprenticeships, sparking backlash from industry veterans who claim the practice is exploitative. Paul Leamy, a solicitor at Temple Bright and former Winston Taylor partner of ten years, told City AM there is [...]
I built my career on social media as a teen. I still think banning under-16s is right August 19, 2026 George Bacon arguably makes a living from young people scrolling. But he says a social media ban for under-16s is logical and responsible.
Meta trial risks reputational damage that ‘dwarfs’ financial hit August 18, 2026 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 [...]
Competition watchdog clears Paramount Warner Bros acquisition August 6, 2026 The UK competition watchdog has cleared the merger of Hollywood heavyweights Paramount and Warner Bros after concluding it does not pose an issue to competitiveness in the UK. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) confirmed it would not investigate the matter further on Wednesday, as it did not “give rise to a realistic prospect of [...]
TikTok loses court battle over £12.7m child privacy fine August 5, 2026 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 [...]
The 24-hour news cycle is ruining politics July 24, 2026 The relentless 24-hour news cycle and social media landscape have fundamentally altered political discourse by prioritizing quick, performative reactions over thoughtful deliberation, says Emma Revell If there’s one thing we can count on in the perma-crisis that is British politics, it’ll be that our screens will be filled with updates from weary political correspondents and [...]
Social media ban driving ‘screen-free’ sales, The Works boss says July 23, 2026 The boss of discount retailer The Works has said the government’s crackdown on social media usage has driven customers towards the “screen-free activities” offered in his stores. Gavin Peck, chief executive of the Aim-listed retailer, believes Labour’s incoming social media ban has pushed up demand among parents for analogue activities for their children and was [...]
Tiktok pledges three-stage age checks as it pilots alcohol sales July 22, 2026 Tiktok will strictly enforce age checks to block under-18s from buying or even viewing alcohol on Tiktok Shop, City AM understands, as it expands into one of retail’s most tightly regulated categories. The social media giant said its ecommerce platform is strictly for adults and that alcohol sales are being piloted only with a small [...]