All articles tagged with #online safety
Simon Leviev, known as the 'Tinder Swindler,' is launching a dating app called Safe Love featuring strict identity verification and safety features. The app requires government ID and selfie matching, with an SOS button for emergencies. Industry groups oppose the launch, urging app store bans, while Leviev argues his fraud experience makes him uniquely qualified to prevent scams.
The European Commission's proposed EU Kids Act, introduced on September 17, 2026, has triggered a polarized debate across the gaming and digital rights sectors. While the 99-page proposal aims to protect minors from AI-driven harms and risky digital services through strict 'safety-by-design' mandates, critics argue it threatens to collapse the gaming market by mandating invasive age verification and banning private servers. Conversely, legal and medical experts contend that the legislation is a necessary, evidence-based response to documented online harms, though they urge a more nuanced approach to balancing privacy with protection.
The European Commission is preparing the EU Kids Act to bar under-15s from creating accounts on social media and video-sharing platforms without parental approval, extend safety-by-design requirements to video games and AI chatbots, introduce an EU-wide age-verification system, and shift enforcement to tech companies, with the draft set to be published soon and broad European pressure for a harmonized rulebook.
California Gov. Newsom signed 13 youth online-safety and privacy laws, including Adam's Law (SB 1119) backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman, mandating age checks for AI chatbots, limiting minor exposure to harmful content and ads; AB 1709 bans under-16s from personalized feeds, AB 1043 strengthens device-age prompts, and AB 2 increases fines for platforms tied to youth harms. The package aims to curb addictive features and push broader AI regulation amid lawsuits against major tech firms.
Australia is considering laws that would let social-media users opt out of algorithmic feeds as part of a broader online-safety push, building on December’s measures that barred under-16s from major platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to shield children from harmful content.
A Letters to the Editor writer argues that while parental responsibility remains crucial, Meta’s $18 billion settlement and its new child-safety rules should become a norm for protecting kids online, not just a response to lawsuits.
Brussels classified OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Reddit and Roblox as Very Large Online Platforms under the EU’s Digital Services Act, adding obligations to remove illegal content and safeguard minors’ privacy and security. With over 45 million EU users each, they face tighter scrutiny and could be fined up to 6% of global revenue if noncompliant by the end of December. The move broadens the DSA to generative AI and comes alongside AI Act enforcement.
Meta agreed to an $18 billion multistate settlement over youth mental health, committing to a suite of kid-safety changes (including a two-hour daily limit for ages 13–17 on Facebook/Instagram, night mode from midnight to 6 a.m., school mode, auto-play off, removal of like counts by default, and a non-algorithmic feed option) overseen by an independent auditor and implemented within six months. The $18B payout will be paid over 10 years and could be reduced to about 70% if TikTok and YouTube don’t join with similar changes. Meta did not admit wrongdoing; safety advocates argue the steps are progress but not transformative, while analysts note the settlement could impact revenue if teen usage drops, though Meta’s broader fundamentals remain strong and the case could spur similar moves by other platforms and potential federal action.
Meta reached about an $18 billion settlement with 48 states over alleged harm to children from Instagram/Facebook, a decision celebrated by parents who blame social media for their kids’ deaths but who say money can’t bring loved ones back. The deal includes new safeguards for minors: a two-hour daily limit on use, a default night-time shutdown, notifications silenced during school hours, enhanced parental controls, and teen prompts every 15 minutes of continuous use, plus a push for industry-wide changes including calls for rivals to follow suit. While many see it as accountability and a meaningful step, several families say more is needed and private lawsuits still loom as litigation continues against Meta and other platforms.
New Zealand intends to introduce an Online Safety Bill that would require platforms to verify users are over 16, potentially banning under-16s from popular apps from early 2027 and imposing large fines on non-compliant companies; the proposal aims to protect children but faces opposition from coalition partners and uncertain passage.
Following a nearly $1 billion court victory against Meta, New Mexico's attorney general is drafting bills to expand consumer protections and child-safety online, potentially including age-verification and time-use limits for minors, and to apply broader rules to AI and chatbots. The move aims to build a regulatory blueprint for other states and possibly spur federal action, leveraging the jurisprudence from Meta's alleged harms and the court-ordered reforms.
Prince Harry praised a federal judge's order fining Meta $567 million for failing to warn about the dangers its platforms pose to children, calling it a milestone in holding big tech accountable and urging platforms to prioritize safety over engagement. Meta plans to appeal. The Sussexes have long advocated safer online spaces and recently launched the Parents Network; Meghan's absence from the statement was noted.
A live Politico digest shows lawmakers juggling multiple fronts: child-safety advocates press the Senate Commerce Committee to attach a ‘duty of care’ standard to online-safety legislation, a bipartisan tax-administration package moves forward amid debates over Trump-era audit protections, Kentucky Gov. Beshear urges Senator McConnell to resign or prove capacity as he recovers, tributes outline Lindsey Graham’s legacy, and Democrats unveil a $40 million ground-game push to win the Senate this fall.
Britain plans a default overnight curfew for 16–17-year-olds and automatic disabling of addictive features like infinite scrolling and autoplay, with an opt-out, slated to take effect by Spring 2027. The move follows a trial of 300+ teens and parents that found improvements in sleep, mood, and daytime energy, though some social trade-offs were noted as limited online interaction with peers was affected.
Australia’s eSafety regulator reports more than 2,000 complaints of sexual extortion (July–Dec 2025) and finds major platforms struggle to detect and prevent online exploitation, with 18–24-year-old men reporting most cases and teens increasingly targeted. Instagram and WhatsApp are most cited, while iMessage and Snapchat link to under-18 threats; gaps in live-streaming safeguards and proactive detection persist, prompting calls for stronger, design-integrated protections.