Internet

'Of the child safety measures agreed to in Meta's landmark legal settlement, no category contains more detailed requirements than its commitments on age assurance—and for good reason. No matter how well the protections work, they are of little use if Meta can't tell which users are kids.... Read more

The way Australians consume news has been changing for the past 30 years, ever since internet use became widespread.... Read more

For 30 years, the World Wide Web has run on a surprisingly profound social contract: Most sites are free for search engines to access, but if you use their content, you give credit by linking to the source.... Read more

Meta's landmark settlement with nearly every U.S. state promises curfews and time limits for teens on Instagram and Facebook—but rests on age and parent checks nobody has figured out how to make work.... Read more

The EU said Thursday it expects Meta to address "addictive" features of its platforms in Europe after the tech giant agreed to sweeping limits on teen use of Facebook and Instagram in some US states.... Read more

In a landmark development, Meta reached a proposed settlement Wednesday with U.S. states over claims that it designed Facebook and Instagram to hook children.... Read more

Australian under-16s are increasing their use of social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok despite a world-leading ban, data provided by a parental control software company showed Wednesday.... Read more

A former employee testified Wednesday that some of Meta's safety tools for Facebook and Instagram were "designed to fail," contradicting the company's defense strategy in a landmark trial in California.... Read more

For many parents, keeping their children safe online is a top priority. But now there's an emerging threat: "com networks." Com networks (short for community networks) are online groups that mostly target vulnerable young people in the online spaces they use every day, including gaming platforms and social media.... Read more

For 30 minutes, the internet in parts of Taiwan crawled. The slowdown Thursday for people in the capital, Taipei, and six other cities and localities was part of the last phase of the island's annual Han Kuang exercises, military drills that began last week and aim to model a response... Read more

There are increasing calls for tighter legislation and restrictions on social media use, particularly for children and young people. Evidence shows potential harms coexist on social media platforms alongside opportunities for crisis support and connection.... Read more

The EU's tech chief called on Meta and TikTok to "act decisively" to stem disinformation at times of crisis, saying the European Commission held talks with both platforms Friday following last week's Ceuta migrant surge.... Read more

As of March 2026, every U.S. state had introduced at least one bill seeking to regulate social media or other digital platforms for people younger than 18. The wave of legislation would be difficult for anyone to keep track of, whether they're a researcher, parent or policymaker. Researchers at the... Read more

Research published in the International Journal of Web-Based Communities has looked at how digital identity might be governed online, specifically in the so-called metaverse. The study found that current frameworks for digital identity are ill-equipped for emerging immersive online environments, which sit under the umbrella term "metaverse." The work argues... Read more

As countries around the world look to follow Australia's lead in restricting young people's access to social media, a new report by the eSafety Commissioner might give them reason to pause, at least temporarily.... Read more