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Social media bans go global: big tech faces a reckoning after Australia’s crackdown
June 27, 2026
As a host of countries move to rein in social media use by children, could this be technology’s big tobacco moment? Continue reading…
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UK schools should remove pupils’ online photos as AI blackmail threat grows, say experts
May 8, 2026
Criminals are manipulating pictures found on school websites and social media to create sexually explicit images UK schools should remove pictures of pupils’ faces from their websites and social media accounts because blackmailers are using them to create sexually explicit images, experts have said. Child safety experts and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) warn…
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Criminal gangs profiting as child sexual abuse websites double, experts say
April 23, 2026
Analyst who worked on Internet Watch Foundation report says content exists ‘across all social media platforms’ and is ‘very easy’ to find The number of commercial child sexual abuse websites has doubled in a year as experts say that criminal gangs are making “huge profits” from online sexual exploitation. According to data collected by the…
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Child victims of online sexual abuse in UK inadequately protected, review finds
April 16, 2026
Lack of funding leaving police forces failing to keep pace with two-thirds annual increase in referrals, says report Child victims of online sexual abuse are being inadequately protected from further harm because police forces are struggling to cope with an increase in this crime, his majesty’s chief inspector of constabulary has warned. Michelle Skeer said:…
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Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers
April 8, 2026
Exclusive: Call for nudity-detection tech on phones as number of under-18s reporting blackmail attempts rises by 34% • ‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the…
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Life after Molly: Ian Russell on big tech, his daughter’s death – and why a social media ban won’t work
January 26, 2026
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…
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Lords put pressure on Starmer with vote to ban social media for under-16s
January 22, 2026
Commons will now have to consider Tory-led amendment, which is likely to be supported by Labour MPs As a parent – and a Conservative – I know that banning social media for under-16s is the right thing to do The House of Lords has voted decisively for a ban on social media for under-16s in…
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Grok AI: is it legal to produce or post undressed images of people without their consent?
January 9, 2026
Deluge of ‘nudified’ images on social media platform X raises questions about regulation of use of AI technologies The deluge of images of partly clothed women – stripped by the Grok AI tool – on Elon Musk’s X has raised further questions over regulation of the technology. Is it legal to produce these images without…
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Parents of sextortion victim sue Meta for alleged wrongful death
December 18, 2025
Exclusive: Lawsuit is the first UK case of its kind, with Ros and Mark Dowey accusing Meta of ‘putting profit before our young people’ The parents of a 16-year-old who took his own life after he fell victim to a sextortion gang on Instagram are suing Meta for the alleged wrongful death of their son,…
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Tech companies and UK child safety agencies to test AI tools’ ability to create abuse images
November 12, 2025
New law will allow technology to be examined and ensure tools have safeguards to stop creation of material Tech companies and child protection agencies will be given the power to test whether artificial intelligence tools can produce child abuse images under a new UK law. The announcement was made as a safety watchdog revealed that…
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