EU Chief Calls for Bloc-Wide Social Media Restrictions for Under-18s
Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a blanket ban for pre-teens and parent-chaperoned accounts with restricted features for teenagers.
September 17, 2026
Texas Judge Rules TikTok Misled Users Over Efforts to Protect Minors From Harmful Content
Texas Attorney General Paxton said the case will now proceed to trial to determine relief and penalties against TikTok.
September 11, 2026
Communications Minister Downplays White House Warning Over Australia’s Online Safety Laws
The Albanese government is pushing ahead with a new digital duty of care that could expose platforms to penalties of up to $109.2 million.
September 10, 2026
5 Investigations Launched Into Potential Breach of Australia’s Under-16 Social Media Ban
This comes as the Labor government moves to double the maximum penalties for social media companies to $109 million under new digital duty-of-care reforms.
September 8, 2026
Australians Could Receive Power to Erase Personal Data Collected Online
Attorney-General Michelle Rowland confirmed that the erasure right would extend to social media platforms and search engines.
August 31, 2026
Tate Brothers Take the Stand in Bail Hearing
British authorities sought extradition of the social media influencers to face rape and sex trafficking charges.
August 27, 2026
Meta Agrees to Pay $18 Billion in Social Media Addiction Settlements: What to Know
The multi-state agreement is one of the largest consumer protection settlements in U.S. history and will likely impact all social media platforms.
August 26, 2026
TikTok, ByteDance to Pay $400 Million in Children’s Privacy Settlement
The Justice Department called the deal one of largest Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act recoveries.
August 22, 2026
Irish Lawmakers Seek TikTok Explanation About Wrong-Way Illegal Driving Trend
This is not the first time footage related to criminal activity in Ireland has appeared on TikTok.
August 20, 2026
Australia’s 10 Most Influential YouTube Accounts to Be Preserved for History
'It’s vital we acquire this now to sit alongside our TV, radio, music, podcasts, games and films,' said NFSA Chief Curator Meagan Loader.
August 19, 2026
Big Tech Firms Admit Under-16s Still Accessing Social Media Despite Ban
Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Snapchat acknowledged that young people were circumventing age checks, but said they were working to improve their systems.
August 19, 2026
Meta Rejects Claims It Tried to Addict Children to Facebook, Instagram as Landmark Trial Starts
Twenty-nine states are suing Meta, seeking civil penalties the company says could run as high as $1.4 trillion, the approximate value of the company.
August 19, 2026
Top French Court Blocks Macron-Backed Social Media Ban for Under-15s
The French president has now instructed his prime minister to begin work on a more 'legally sound' version of the legislation.
August 14, 2026
Digital Rights Group Says Social Media Ban Not Working, Call for Algorithm to Be Exposed
Digital rights groups have argued against Australia's under-16 social media ban, calling for other methods to be used.
August 14, 2026
White House Ends TikTok Ban on Government Devices
The Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum to heads of executive departments and agencies, stating, 'TikTok may be used on government devices.'
August 11, 2026
Meta Ordered to Pay $567 Million in New Mexico for Children’s Mental Health Fund
The judge ordered Meta to delete the accounts of users under 13, along with all personal information collected from those accounts.
August 7, 2026
Disney and TikTok Strike First-Ever Deal to Share Short-Form Content
The program will debut in the United States in the next few months before expanding to international markets.
August 5, 2026
Telegram Returns to Apple’s App Store After Brief Removal
The platform and its founder Pavel Durov continue to face regulatory scrutiny over platform moderation.
August 4, 2026
Telegram to Fight Australia’s eSafety Over Claims It Failed to Remove Terrorist Content
A Telegram spokesperson told The Epoch Times it would be contesting eSafety's allegations in court
July 30, 2026
Russia Charges Telegram Founder Durov With Facilitating Terrorism
Moscow's domestic security agency, the FSB, issued an international arrest warrant for the St. Petersburg-born tycoon.
July 29, 2026
TikTok Accused of Violating EU Rules on Online Safety for Children
EU regulators said TikTok’s account settings put minors at risk, and it could face a fine of up to 6 percent of global revenue if the findings are confirmed.
July 25, 2026
Vietnam Considers Social Media Restrictions for Under-16s
The proposals are part of a growing trend of countries banning or restricting social media for minors, a course of action initiated in Australia.
July 24, 2026
EU Fines Google $1 Billion Over Search, App Store Practices
EU officials ordered Google to stop favoring its own services and ease Google Play restrictions.
July 23, 2026
France Becomes 1st EU Country to Bar Children Under 15 From Social Media
Supporters call it a landmark protection for minors; critics warn it will end online anonymity for adults.
July 21, 2026
Government Employees Can Use TikTok on Their Devices Again, DOJ Says
The majority-American owned venture operating the new app revised the algorithm originally developed by China-based ByteDance.
July 18, 2026
California’s Newport Beach to Partner With TikTok to Help Prevent Takeovers
The social media platform offered to deactivate problem accounts and has already done so in some cases, the mayor said.
July 17, 2026
Musk’s XAI Sues User for Allegedly Using Grok to Create Child Sexual Abuse Material
The lawsuit alleges that a user uploaded non-sexual images of adults and minors to Grok in order to generate sexually explicit deepfakes of them.
July 16, 2026
UK Regulator Opens TikTok Probe Over Child Safety, Age Checks
Ofcom says age-checking systems used by some social media companies may not reliably identify child users.
July 16, 2026
UK Plans Default Midnight Social Media Curfew for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
The move follows an announcement by the UK Government last month that it would be banning under-16s from social media entirely.
July 15, 2026
LinkedIn Saw Massive Uptick in Hateful Content After Hamas’ Oct. 7 Attack on Israel
A LinkedIn vice president said removals of "hateful or derogatory" content more than quadrupled across the platform between 2023 and 2025.
July 13, 2026
EU Lawmakers Advance Mass Private-Message Scanning Measure
Critics call the measure 'Chat Control' and warn it could normalize mass surveillance, while supporters say it is needed to detect child sexual abuse material.
July 9, 2026
YouTube Scrutinised for Not Removing Video Challenging Bondi Attack Victim’s Account
The anti-Semitism royal commission questioned YouTube about a video suggesting that Arsen Ostrovsky, who survived the massacre, was a 'crisis actor.'
July 8, 2026
Judge Rejects Meta’s Bid to Dismiss Lawsuit Claiming Its Platforms Deliberately Addict Children
Meta alleged that 'social media addiction' is not a legitimate psychiatric diagnosis.
June 30, 2026
House Passes Kids Internet and Digital Safety Act
The bill, introduced by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), passed in a 267–117 vote with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
June 30, 2026
Social Media Firms Failing, Refusing to Cooperate With Australian Anti-Semitism Probe
The counsel for the Royal Commission investigating the Bondi terror attack says its had limited cooperation from X, Telegram, Reddit, and Liberty Social.
June 30, 2026
Australia ‘Doubles Down’ on Under-16 Social Media Ban, Doubles Fines to $99 Million
Australia's eSafety Commissioner will have expanded powers to investigate Big Tech companies.
June 29, 2026
Australian Prime Minister Vows to Toughen Social Media Ban for Under-16s
Anthony Albanese's remarks come a day after a study found that 85 percent of Australian teens were still using social media months after the ban was instituted.
June 26, 2026
3 Months After Australia’s Social Media Ban, Study Finds No Clear Reduction in Teen Use
A study in the British Medical Journal found little evidence of 'immediate substantive reductions' in social media use among under-16s.
June 25, 2026
Fiji Moves to Introduce Social Media Ban on Youths
The Pacific nation's stance is the latest in a global movement to ban social media from the hands of children.
June 23, 2026
EU Court Greenlights France’s Age Checks on Pornographic Sites Across Bloc
The ruling followed a challenge by Czech operators WebGroup Czech Republic and NKL Associates to France’s age-check law.
June 17, 2026
Florida Sues TikTok Over Alleged Violations of Child Safety Law
A state lawsuit alleged that TikTok uses addictive features that harm young users and deceives parents about the risks.
June 15, 2026
British PM Announces Social Media Restrictions for Teens
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the restrictions will ‘go further than any other country,’ covering a wider range of online services.
June 15, 2026
Starmer Calls for Controls to Stop Children Viewing, Sending, Taking Nude Images
The UK's prime minister said that if Big Tech does not introduce the controls themselves, the government in London will enact laws to compel them.
June 8, 2026
Meta Warns Labor’s New Media Tax Could Trigger US Trade Action
Meta, the owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, argues news outlets are being protected from real market pressures.
June 4, 2026
What Spencer Pratt’s AI Videos Tell Us About Future of Election Campaigns
The underdog Republican is staying in the public eye with his viral film-like artificial intelligence videos and his debate performance.
May 31, 2026
No ‘Fine Issuing Button’: eSafety on Compliance Issues With Under-16 Social Media Ban
'Systemic non-compliance needs to be proven in court with solid evidence and complex legal proceedings,' said Australia's eSafety Commissioner.
May 28, 2026
UK Doctors Compare Social Media Harms Affecting Children to Smoking
UK lawmakers are weighing online safety measures for children, including a possible ban on social media use for under-16s, with decisions expected this summer.
May 26, 2026
Unnamed ‘Nudify’ AI Service Given 14 Days to Protect Children or Face $50 Million Fine
The Australian regulator has warned of multimillion-dollar fines and search engine delisting if the service does not comply.
May 20, 2026
’47 Percent’: Small Businesses Turn to AI Memes in Mass Online Protest Against Labor’s New Taxes
'At this rate we’re considering updating the front sign to 'El Arish Tavern—Proudly Co-Owned by the Australian Government,'' said one business.
May 18, 2026
Online Platforms Must Comply With Take It Down Act: FTC
Victims, including minors, must be protected from people who produce nonconsensual intimate images or deepfakes for ‘depraved motives,’ the FTC chair said.
May 14, 2026