All articles tagged with #minors
Two Montgomery County Westfield malls will bar unaccompanied minors under 18 unless they’re with a 21+ adult who can supervise up to four youths; the Parental Guidance Policy takes effect Sept. 28 from 3 p.m. to closing, part of safety efforts following a July shooting at the Wheaton mall.
UPMC and NYU Langone Hospitals agreed to stop providing gender-affirming care to minors and pay settlements totaling about $9.45 million after federal investigations into related billing practices, with privacy protections and no admission of wrongdoing.
NYU Langone Health reached an $8.5 million settlement with the DOJ to shutter its gender-affirming care for minors, joining Mount Sinai and other systems in winding down youth services after federal pressure and threats to defund federal funding; the hospital says it is resolving investigations without admitting wrongdoing, while critics warn the move reduces access to lifesaving care for transgender youth and politicizes medical decisions. The settlement comes after subpoenas and ongoing investigations, and state officials say they are reviewing the deal. Other major systems, including the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, have reached similar agreements.
The EU Commission published a draft EU KIDS Act that would apply to online games sold in EU territories, requiring parental controls and age verification, restricting excessive use by minors (including login bonuses and rewards tied to play time), limiting contact between minors and other users, and introducing binding codes of conduct and monetization transparency considerations. The regulation would be directly applicable in member states if approved, but the text is not final and awaits Parliament and member-state sign-off.
The European Commission will unveil the EU KIDS Act to limit minors' access to social media and video-sharing platforms before age 15, introducing safe-by-design requirements and a tiered account system: under-13 accounts would be guardian-controlled, 13–15-year-olds would have restricted, supervised access with parental controls, and over-15 users could self-serve, alongside age-verification tech and education measures; enforcement would mirror the Digital Services Act and AI Act, with provisions for education, and the plan excludes educational tools, though negotiations are ongoing.
California Governor Gavin Newsom signed 13 bills aimed at protecting youth online, including Adam's Law (AB 1709) that bars under-16s from exposure to psychologically exploitative features such as infinite-scroll feeds and autoplay, bans the manufacture and sale of toys with companion chatbots for four years, expands penalties for AI-generated or altered child sexual-abuse material, and requires parental controls on chatbot programs and other safety assessments.
Romanian prosecutors charged Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan with trafficking minors, sex with a minor, and money laundering, accusing them of recruiting victims with false relationship claims, coercing a 15-year-old to produce explicit content for a webcam business, and diverting about $1.25 million through luxury car purchases. The indictment follows a UK extradition request and Tate’s July arrest in the US, but it’s unclear if Romania will pursue extradition; the case is moving through Romania's preliminary court process and has faced earlier evidentiary setbacks.
Romania’s DIICOT has charged Andrew and Tristan Tate with trafficking minors, money laundering and sex with a minor, alleging they coerced a 15-year-old girl into sex acts via video chats and moved her to Romania to continue exploiting her; prosecutors also seek confiscation of luxury cars. The brothers, who deny the allegations and are jailed in Miami amid separate UK extradition proceedings, face a new indictment whose validity will be reviewed by a judge before any trial.
In Ceuta, a spike in violence is alleged as JUPOL reports Moroccan and North African migrants dragging girls into secluded hills near the local reception center to sexually assault them; 15 rape cases have been confirmed since the July mass invasion, with most assaults involving minors. Authorities are racing to place hundreds of vulnerable migrant girls in emergency accommodation and are coordinating transfers to mainland Spain as the crisis continues.
Cape May’s City Council approved new rules limiting under-18 access to the beach after 8 p.m. unless accompanied by an adult, and banning unaccompanied minors from public spaces between 10:30 p.m. and 6 a.m. The measures also prohibit backpacks and certain bags on beaches and the promenade after 8 p.m., with medical equipment exempt. Police say the curfews and bans aim to keep beaches safe and curb disruptive youth gatherings, with neighboring Jersey Shore towns adopting similar restrictions.
France’s Constitutional Council blocked a plan to ban under-15s from social media, ruling the blanket restriction infringes minors’ freedom of expression and prompting a revised bill with greater parental flexibility and a new target date in spring 2027.
The Department of Health and Human Services’ Wolves in White Coats report highlights three detransitioner accounts—Clementine Breen, Soren Aldaco, and Luke Healy—who allege that doctors pressured underage patients to pursue gender-transition treatments, often starting with puberty blockers and hormones and, in some cases, including surgeries. The stories describe rapid social/medical transitions, limited exploration of alternatives, perceived profit motives, and significant later health and psychological consequences, prompting calls for a more cautious, structured reassessment of youth gender-care pathways.
Brazil’s data protection authority (ANPD) ordered Discord to suspend its Go Live livestreams after a 13-year-old was allegedly pressured to end her life in a private server. Discord says it’s reviewing the order and cooperating with investigators, while the ANPD cited lack of real-time access to streams and warned of fines up to 50 million reais per violation. The suspension remains in place until Discord implements safeguards for minors, potentially including age verification, and the company has three days to comply with an appeal window.
The Trump administration’s CMS announced that Medicaid and CHIP will stop funding gender-affirming care for minors, including cross-sex hormones, puberty blockers, and sex-change surgeries, with a six-month taper for current patients. Mental health treatments for gender dysphoria will continue to be covered. Officials say the procedures are experimental and carry long-term risks, citing the Cass Review, and frame the move as protecting children while saving taxpayer dollars.
A Graves County Middle School teacher, Sadie Flores, 25, was arrested and charged with grooming a minor under Kentucky’s newly enacted anti-grooming law after alleged inappropriate conduct with a student. The investigation involved seizing electronic records and interviewing Flores, with authorities saying the case remains ongoing and district officials emphasizing student safety as a priority.