Category: Social Media
TikTok will be banned in US from Sunday, Supreme Court rules
The Supreme Court has ruled that TikTok is to be banned in the US from Sunday if it's not sold by Chinese parent company Bytedance. TikTok may proactively shut down its US operations, preventing users from accessing the app. Alternatively, the ban could be enforced gradually, with app stores removing TikTok and updates ceasing. Despite…
Porn websites must introduce age checks by July 2025, under new Ofcom rules
Ofcom has published industry guidance on effective age checks to prevent children from encountering online porn Pornography services must introduce age checks by July 2025 at the latest Enforcement programme opening to monitor industry compliance Ofcom today (January 16th 2025) published new industry guidance on age verification for online services, a crucial step in implementing…
Most people have no plan for ‘digital death’, Which? finds
New Which? research shows most consumers have no plan for what happens to their digital accounts and online assets when they die, leaving huge risk of emails, photos and social media accounts being locked up and inaccessible to loved ones when they pass away. The consumer watchdog is urging people to take action and prepare…
Less than half of 16-24 year olds watch live broadcast TV, Ofcom finds
Stark generational divide as 16-24s watch just 20 mins of live TV daily Family TV becoming device of choice to watch YouTube at home Radio listening hits 20-year high as commercial stations thrive For the first time, less than half of 16-24-year-olds are now watching broadcast TV in an average week, according to Ofcom’s annual study…
85% of UK think creating fake news should be illegal
New research from digital identity security specialists, ID Crypt Global, reveals that an overwhelming majority of the UK public believes those who create and spread fake news should have their social media accounts banned, with 85% also believing it should be made illegal. The survey of 1,121 members of the UK public, commissioned by ID Crypt…
Social media sites face tougher age checks under new Ofcom rules
Ofcom has warned social media sites they could be banned for under-18s completely if they fail to comply with new online safety rules. The media regulator has published a children's safety draft code of practice, which requires social media firms to have more robust age-checking measures in place. Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes warned any…
Ofcom investigates OnlyFans age verification process
Ofcom has today opened an investigation into whether OnlyFans is doing enough to prevent children from accessing pornography on its site. Under existing regulations that pre-date the UK’s new Online Safety Act, video-sharing platforms (VSPs) established in the UK are required to take appropriate measures to prevent under-18s from accessing pornographic material. In response to…
Over 70% of 16-24 year olds use social media to keep up with news
Online intermediaries, such as social media, search engines and other online aggregators exert a significant influence on the news stories people consume, according to new Ofcom research. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of UK adults use online intermediaries to access news, with Meta – the company which owns Facebook and Instagram – being the third largest source…
Seeing violent online content starts in primary school, claims Ofcom study
Children describe violent content as ‘unavoidable’ online Teenage boys more likely to share violent material to ‘fit in’ with peers Recommender algorithms and group messaging fuel exposure Children’s willingness to report harmful content undermined by lack of trust in process Children first see violent online content while still at primary school and describe it as…
1 in 3 social media GDPR fines linked to children
Over the last five years of GDPR, the most popular social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Whatsapp, and X, formerly Twitter) were fined over €2.9B for GDPR breaches, of which €765M was for inadequate protection of children’s data, a study by Surfshark shows. Says Agneska Sablovskaja, Lead Researcher at Surfshark:  “Half of the most popular social…
