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Starmer tells social media firms in No 10 meeting ‘things can’t go on like this’
April 16, 2026
PM summons senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X and says social media is ‘putting our children at risk’ Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a Downing Street meeting over internet safety. The prime minister summoned senior figures at Meta, TikTok, Google and X to No…
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UK social media users less active on tech platforms due to rise of video apps
April 2, 2026
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…
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Keir Starmer says UK will ‘have to act’ to curb addictive features of social media
March 29, 2026
In his strongest intervention yet, PM says some features ‘shouldn’t be permitted’, while education secretary says things ‘are going to change’ Keir Starmer has backed banning addictive social media features in his strongest intervention yet on curbs that could be placed on tech companies, saying the features “shouldn’t be permitted”. The prime minister said the…
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‘Soon publishers won’t stand a chance’: literary world in struggle to detect AI-written books
March 29, 2026
US release of horror novel Shy Girl cancelled and UK book discontinued after suspected AI use, as publishers feel ‘cold shiver’ Recently, the literary agent Kate Nash started noticing that the submission letters she was receiving from authors were becoming more thorough – albeit also more formulaic. “I took it as a rise in diligence,”…
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The OnlyFans inheritance: how its owner’s death could reshape the porn money-making machine
March 29, 2026
Leonid Radvinsky’s widow has been left with a crucial role in deciding what happens to the business that made her husband a billionaire Yekaterina Chudnovsky, online biographies say, is a mother-of-four who “enjoys spending time with her family and teaching them the importance of giving back and helping others”. They add that Ukrainian-born Chudnovsky, known…
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‘The era of invincibility is over’: the week big tech was brought to heel
March 28, 2026
Ruling that Meta and YouTube deliberately designed addictive products marks possible watershed moment for social media The young woman at the heart of what has been called the tech industry’s “big tobacco” moment was on YouTube at six and Instagram by nine. More than a decade later, she says, she still can’t live without the…
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What does new guidance in the UK say about screen time for children?
March 28, 2026
Experts recommend extremely limited use for children under-two amid ‘mounting evidence’ of harmful impact The government has issued new guidance on how much time children below the age of five should spend on screens. Children’s relationships with screens have become one of the key struggles of 21st-century parenting, along with the impact of the content…
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Keep under-fives’ screen time to no more than an hour a day, UK advice says
March 27, 2026
Keir Starmer promises to help parents limit children’s online activity as government issues guidance to families Children under five should spend no more than an hour a day on screens, new government advice says. Screen time for children under two should be avoided except for shared activities encouraging interaction, families are advised. Continue reading…
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‘Accountability has arrived’: dual US court losses show shifting tide against Meta and co
March 27, 2026
With two unprecedented trial defeats, big tech firms face crisis akin to that faced by cigarette makers in the 1990s In the span of just two days, the most powerful social media company in the world faced a more severe public reckoning than it has in years. Jurors in California and New Mexico gave back-to-back…
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Meta and YouTube designed addictive products that harmed young people, jury finds
March 26, 2026
Jury in Los Angeles awards plaintiff damages of $6m, with Meta to pay 70% and YouTube the remainder Sign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inbox Meta and YouTube have been found liable for deliberately designing addictive products that hooked a young user and led to her being…
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