No 10 is worried about retaliation from White House over restrictions on under-16s’ internet use

Ministers have embarked on a concerted lobbying operation to prevent a backlash from the Trump administration to the under-16s social media ban announced by Keir Starmer.

Officials said they had spent weeks trying to reassure senior Trump officials and the US president himself that the restrictions were not specifically aimed at US technology companies.

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© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

© Photograph: Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters

Some parents and child advocacy groups support these measures, but critics raise privacy concerns.

Starmer acknowledges that some teens might bypass the ban but emphasizes the importance of children's safety and happiness.

Exclusive: Aboriginal Australians and migrants the targets of John Drew, who claims he was once kicked out of Pauline Hanson’s party for being ‘too radical’ – but is now a branch official

• Warning: This article contains racially offensive language and outdated references

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A man who has defended the Hitler Youth organisation and used offensive and racist language about Aboriginal people and migrants is working as a policy development officer for One Nation in Queensland.

Guardian Australia can reveal that John Drew, who claims he was kicked out of One Nation more than 20 years ago for being “too radical”, says he has been a party branch official in Brisbane since late last year. This is despite One Nation claiming it has introduced a sophisticated new vetting tool – dubbed Operation Obsidian – that it applies to any person taking up a party role.

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© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

© Composite: Guardian Design

Britain said it would ban social media access for children under 16 starting in 2027, joining several other countries introducing similar measures.

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Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government planned to bar children under 16 from social media, following policies in Australia and elsewhere.

© Katie Collins/Reuters

Rank One, whose board includes a former CIA deputy director and a former FBI science chief, supplied face recognition to Meta for internal development of its smart glasses app.

Liz Kendall also wants Ofcom to report to parliament every year on how effectively social media firms are keeping under-16s off their platforms

Starmer acknowledges some teenagers will get round these restrictons. But that does not make the rules pointless, he says.

Will it mean that no child ever looks at social media again? No.

But look, this might shock you, but it doesn’t shock parents of teenagers; they get around other laws too.

Some technology companies want us to think that social media is unchangeable, part of an almost natural order.

But we have to resist that kind of learned helplessness. We have agency, we can change it, and we will.

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© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

© Photograph: PRU/AFP/Getty Images

UK prime minister says move will bring ‘real change for our children’ amid growing concerns over harmful online content

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Access to social media will be banned in the UK for users under 16, Keir Starmer has announced, in what he described as “real change for our children and our future”.

“Social media is making children unhappy, it’s making it easier for bullies to harass and abuse them, and it could even be harming their mental health,” he said, setting out plans briefed over the weekend, which will go further than a pioneering ban in Australia.

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© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA

© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA

© Photograph: Jaimi Joy/EPA

Darializa Avila Chevalier won the backing of Mayor Zohran Mamdani in her bid to unseat Representative Adriano Espaillat. Then her social media history took center stage.

© Nicole Craine for The New York Times

Sir Keir Starmer is set to ban under-16s from 10 major social media platforms, including X, but not Bluesky, the Left-wing app.

The post Starmer to Ban Under-16s From 10 Social Media Apps, Including X, but not Bluesky appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Government wants to back parents against tech companies though some feel the process has been rushed

Keir Starmer is expected to announce sweeping “Australia-plus” restrictions on under-16s accessing harmful social media apps, a move the government has framed as taking the side of parents against the big technology companies.

A consultation on online safety closed on 26 May, giving ministers just weeks to come up with policies after receiving more than 116,000 responses. Industry sources and child safety advocates have described the process as “rushed” and driven by a political timeline. It is not clear when the ban could come into force.

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© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

© Photograph: Daniel de la Hoz/Getty Images

Sources say hardline measures will also prevent young users from being able to talk to strangers on gaming apps

• Why is the UK launching an ‘Australia plus’ social media ban and how will it work?

Keir Starmer is to ban under-16s from major social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and X in sweeping restrictions described as “Australia plus”, the Guardian understands.

In a major policy shift far tougher than previously briefed, the prime minister will announce that teenagers will be banned from all the main social platforms. Online products that are not covered by the ban – such as gaming apps – will face new restrictions such as having the option to chat to strangers removed.

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© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

© Photograph: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

In the age of A.I., Hany Farid is struggling to prove what’s real before the internet decides for itself.

© Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Exclusive: Cancer charity says dispelling falsehoods gleaned from social media is now routine task for clinicians

Social media misinformation about the use of dietary supplements such as turmeric, St John’s wort and magnesium is now so common that dispelling online claims has become a routine part of NHS clinicians work.

Two out of five frontline health workers say they encounter patients who raise inaccurate or misleading information about supplements at least once a week.

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© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

© Photograph: Oleg Breslavtsev/Getty Images

Site takes no action over hate posts against UK politicians including Kemi Badenock, Shabana Mahmood and Zia Yusuf

X has refused to take down dozens of social media posts reported as “hate, abuse or harassment” in which prominent UK politicians, including Kemi Badenoch, have been racially abused.

In May, researchers from the social inclusion thinktank British Future reported 30 posts from this year in which the Conservative party leader was called the N-word. In each case the researchers used the platform’s “hate, abuse or harassment” reporting option. X refused to act in the majority of cases, despite repeated requests.

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© Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

© Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

© Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

Exclusive: Former minister calls for urgent action against companies such as X that allow incitement to violence

Wes Streeting has called for Keir Starmer to take urgent action against X and other online platforms that have helped whip up social tensions, suggesting they should be forced to contribute to rebuilding costs after the riots in Belfast.

The intervention by the former health secretary, who is seen as a likely challenger to Keir Starmer in any leadership contest, comes after Downing Street said any response would be left to Ofcom, the media regulator, meaning no action is likely for at least two months.

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© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

© Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

New safety measures had little effect so far, study finds, with Starmer expected to announce under-16s ban

Nearly half of girls and a third of all teenagers saw suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content on social media in a week, a study shows.

The Molly Rose Foundation (MRF) research found that 47% of girls aged 13 to 17 encountered high-risk content during a seven-day period.

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© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

© Photograph: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock

Gazans are preparing for public protests against Hamas on June 26th in what is being touted as a grassroots "revolution" against the terror group.

The post Gazan Exiles Stoke “Revolution” Against Hamas appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

A WIRED investigation found dozens of “nudified” deepfake images and videos on Grok's website, including nonconsensual depictions of celebrities and at least one prominent US politician.