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Reform UK voters least likely to see social media posts from family and friends, study finds
Thinktank says algorithms are fuelling isolation and division after analysing posts shown to social media users Reform UK voters are the least likely to see posts from friends and family on social media and most likely to see content from brands and news organisations, a study has found. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)…
UK social media users less active on tech platforms due to rise of video apps
Ofcom research shows people also concerned old posts could affect personal or professional life Social media users in the UK are becoming less active on tech platforms due to the rise of video apps and fears that posts could come back to haunt them, according to the communications watchdog. Ofcom said just under half of…
Meta, Tiktok and Google under investigation for allegedly disobeying Australia’s social media ban
Nearly 70% of under-16s with accounts on Instagram, Snapchat or TikTok had maintained access, survey finds The Australian government has accused big tech firms like Meta, TikTok and Google of disobeying the landmark ban on under-16s using social media, after the country’s online safety office warned many children had accounts. A survey of 900 Australian…
Meta ordered to pay $375m after being found liable in child exploitation case
New Mexico hails ‘historic’ win after jury finds firm misled consumers over safety and enabled harm against users A New Mexico jury on Tuesday ordered Meta to pay $375m in civil penalties after it found the company misled consumers about the safety of its platforms and enabled harm, including child sexual exploitation, against its users.…
‘IG is a drug’: jury to deliberate as US trial over social media addiction wraps up
Meta and YouTube accused of creating harmful products in trial seen as a bellwether for attitudes towards social media The first-ever jury trial over the potential harms of social media wrapped up on Thursday. Lawyers for Meta and YouTube have argued their platforms are safe for the vast majority of young people, while lawyers for…
Leave big tech behind! How to replace Amazon, Google, X, Meta, Apple – and more
A handful of companies monopolise the web, with unprecedented access to our data. But there are many more ethical – and often distinctively European – alternatives There’s not much to love about big tech these days. So many ills can be laid at its door: social media harms, misinformation, polarisation, mining and misuse of personal…
‘Marketplace for predators’: Meta faces jury trial over child exploitation claims
New Mexico attorney general accuses Meta of failing to safeguard children against trafficking and sexual abuse Meta’s second major trial of 2026 over alleged harms to children begins on Monday. The landmark jury trial in Santa Fe pits the New Mexico attorney general’s office against the social media giant. The state alleges that the company…
Life after Molly: Ian Russell on big tech, his daughter’s death – and why a social media ban won’t work
Molly Russell was just 14 when she took her own life in 2017, and an inquest later found negative online content was a significant factor. With many people now pushing for teenagers to be kept off tech platforms, her father explains why he backs a different approach Ian Russell describes his life as being split…
Kemi Badenoch says Tories would ban under-16s from ‘addictive’ social media
Conservative leader backs Australian-inspired policy to stop platforms ‘profiting from their anxiety’ UK politics live – latest updates The Conservatives are backing a ban on social media for under-16s in an attempt to prevent addictive platforms fuelling anxiety and distraction among teenagers. Kemi Badenoch, the Conservative leader, said she did not like the word ban…
Facebook slow to act on posts celebrating Bondi beach massacre, anti-hate group says
Exclusive: CST highlights volume of IS-supporting accounts and says social media firms ‘putting all of us in danger’ Facebook hosted terrorist propaganda that celebrated the murder of Jews and praised Islamic State, a leading anti-hate group has alleged. The posts included celebrations of the Bondi beach massacre that the Community Security Trust says Facebook has…