Meta settles with 18-year-old on eve of Calif. social media addiction trial
October 30, 2026
| Maria Dinzeo
Meta Platforms has reached a settlement with an 18-year-old woman who accused the social media giant of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram to be addictive, contributing to her anxiety, depression an... (more story)
Google says platforms should handle UK age checks as Ofcom urges app-store action
October 30, 2026
| Imogen Howse
Google has said individual online services should remain responsible for age assurance, after a report by the UK's online safety regulator found that app stores could do more to protect children. Ofcom said ap... (more story)
Major porn sites risk EU fines as child-safety probes near completion
October 30, 2026
| Sara Brandstätter
Major porn websites risk significant fines under the bloc's Digital Services Act, MLex has learned. The companies’ rebuttals, including warnings that changes would push youngsters to smaller, unregulated websi... (more story)
Meta criticizes Ofcom’s info demands after UK court rejects platforms’ challenges (update*)
October 30, 2026
| Imogen Howse
Meta Platforms has renewed its criticism of information demands issued by UK regulator Ofcom, after the High Court rejected legal challenges brought by Meta, TikTok and X. Meta maintained that the scale of the... (more story)
Meta, TikTok, X lose legal challenge over UK regulator's information demands
October 30, 2026
| Imogen Howse
Social-media giants Meta Platforms, TikTok and X have lost their legal challenge against the UK's online safety watchdog over information demands it issued. The ruling marks a significant victory for Ofcom as ... (more story)
Parents urge US judge to reject Roblox arbitration bid in child-safety case
October 29, 2026
| Maria Dinzeo and Mike Swift
A group of parents are trying to convince a US federal judge not to send their claims against Roblox over child safety failures to arbitration, arguing in court on Thursday that the mass arbitration framework ... (more story)
DC AG seeks TikTok CEO’s testimony about child sexual exploitation issues with Live
October 29, 2026
| Madeline Hughes
The Washington DC Attorney General’s Office and others are seeking to depose TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew about his knowledge of potential child sexual exploitation issues that have arisen from TikTok Live.
‘Small but risky’ platforms should face extra UK safety duties, lawmakers say
October 29, 2026
| Imogen Howse
Small platforms hosting dangerous content should face additional online safety duties, UK lawmakers said on Thursday, as they called for a review of how the Online Safety Act determines which services qualify.... (more story)