Neowin News Feed for: Children

New Mexico takes Meta to court over exposing minors to sexual exploitation

Hamid Ganji — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 16:12:01 +0000

Meta will face a jury next week in a case brought by the state of New Mexico over the alleged sexual exploitation of minors on Meta-owned platforms. Read more...

European Parliament backs under-16 ban on social media

Paul Hill — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 14:36:01 +0000

The European Parliament has backed calls for a ban on children using social media without parental consent. It comes weeks before Australia introduces its own ban. Read more...

Snapchat starts requiring age verification under new law

Paul Hill — Sat, 22 Nov 2025 09:58:01 +0000

Snapchat has said it will begin verifying the age of Australian users from this week in anticipation of a new law. Read more...

Germany gets closer to mandating age assurance at OS level

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 13:06:01 +0000

Germany is getting closer to forcing operating system makers to include age assurance at the operating system level, proposing a one-touch kid mode. Read more...

Australia adds Twitch to its teen social media ban

Paul Hill — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:18:02 +0000

The Australian government has added Twitch to its list of social media platforms that children under 16 will no longer be able to use. Read more...

Google doesn't want to be held responsible for OS-level age assurance

Paul Hill — Wed, 19 Nov 2025 15:36:01 +0000

Google has said it opposes OS-level age assurance measures. It said individual providers should be responsible for verifying the age of their users. Read more...

UK government considers two-hour social media limit for children

Paul Hill — Wed, 23 Jul 2025 15:16:01 +0000

The UK government is seriously considering placing social media limits on children following a survey it did with 1,000 teens. Read more...

Children are forming emotional bonds with AI chatbots, report says

Paul Hill — Mon, 14 Jul 2025 08:58:01 +0000

A new report from Internet Matters has found that children are forming emotional bonds with AI, with vulnerable kids much more likely to form bonds. Read more...

Scientists uncover how cancer time bombs are silently planted in children by their own guts

Sayan Sen — Sun, 01 Jun 2025 08:16:01 +0000

A study has found that a common gut bacteria may leave invisible DNA scars in childhood, silently increasing the risk of colorectal cancer decades later. Read more...

Your favorite adult sites might soon ask for a selfie and ID, thanks to UK's digital rules

Paul Hill — Thu, 03 Apr 2025 13:12:02 +0000

UK residents looking to access porn will be in for a little bit of a shock from July 2025 as Ofcom says many providers implementing age-check systems. Read more...

Google's new Fitbit Ace LTE is yet another screen for your kids to get distracted by

Paul Hill — Thu, 30 May 2024 07:16:01 +0000

Google has announced the new Fitbit Ace LTE designed to get kids more active using interactive characters called Eejies. The watch costs $229.95 and then has a $9.99 per month Fitbit Ace Pass. Read more...

UK passes law that could see unruly tech bosses jailed

Paul Hill — Thu, 26 Oct 2023 18:58:01 +0000

The UK has finally passed the Online Safety Bill. It's a wide-reaching piece of legislation that aims to improve child safety online. It threatens tech bosses who don't comply with fines and jail. Read more...

Snapchat adds strike system to clamp down on inappropriate content

Paul Hill — Fri, 08 Sep 2023 02:56:01 +0000

Snapchat has announced a range of new features to help protect teenagers that use its platform. The features help to remove inappropriate content and keep teens away from people they don't know. Read more...

Apple is aware of a Screen Time issue and says it'll issue an update fixing it

Paul Hill — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 21:08:01 +0000

Apple has acknowledged a bug in Screen Time that causes parental settings to be reset. The company has confirmed that they are working on a solution, but no specific timeline has been provided. Read more...

Twitch cleaning up operations with content classification labels

Paul Hill — Wed, 21 Jun 2023 11:14:01 +0000

Twitch has introduced new content classification labels that streamers have to apply to their stream. They cover a whole range of items including violence, profanity, tobacco use, gambling, and more. Read more...

Reading Practice arrives on Google Play Books to help improve literacy skills

Paul Hill — Thu, 01 Jun 2023 21:22:01 +0000

Google Play Books users in the United States can now use a feature called Reading Practice. It's aimed at children to help them develop their vocabulary and comprehension skills independently. Read more...

Meta sued by school for allegedly getting kids addicted to social media

Usama Jawad — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 07:22:02 +0000

Meta has been added to a lawsuit filed by a school board against tech firms which allegedly contribute to social media addiction and mental health problems among children by promoting toxic content. Read more...

UK Online Safety Bill threatens social media companies' ad revenue and user numbers

Paul Hill — Mon, 16 Jan 2023 10:30:01 +0000

With the Online Safety Bill almost through the House of Commons, social media firms have said they're concerned about the impact the bill will have on their finances as ads get seen by fewer people. Read more...

UK Online Safety Bill amendment could add jail terms for social media bosses

Paul Hill — Thu, 12 Jan 2023 13:52:01 +0000

Conservative Party rebels are trying to add an amendment to the Online Safety Bill that would see senior managers at tech firms receive jail terms if they don't implement measures to protect kids. Read more...

UK's Online Safety Bill sees yet another delay

Paul Hill — Fri, 28 Oct 2022 15:16:01 +0000

Penny Mordaunt, Leader of the House of Commons, has said the Online Safety Bill has been temporarily paused for further scrutiny. She assured colleagues that it would be back soon. Read more...

TikTok could face £27 million fine for lapses in the privacy of kids

Hemant Saxena — Mon, 26 Sep 2022 12:52:02 +0000

The provisional views of the UK's Information Commissioner's Office suggest TikTok has fallen short of giving adequate protection to children under data privacy laws. It could face a £27 million fine. Read more...

Meta announces Instagram improvements to boost teen safety

Paul Hill — Tue, 07 Dec 2021 13:24:02 +0000

Meta has announced a raft of new features for Instagram designed to make the platform safer for teenagers to use, including Take A Break. Parents will also see how long kids are on Instagram. Read more...

Vodafone issues a warning of the risks of so-called sharenting

Paul Hill — Fri, 03 Sep 2021 15:30:02 +0000

Vodafone has issued a warning to parents and carers about sharing too much information about your children's lives online. It also shared some tips on how you can carry on sharing, in a safer manner. Read more...

Google will turn on SafeSearch by default for people under 18

Usama Jawad — Tue, 10 Aug 2021 15:38:47 +0000

In a bid to make the internet a safer space for teenagers, Google is making changes to many of its major products. SafeSearch will be enabled by default for teens and YouTube uploads will be private. Read more...

Instagram announces new efforts to protect kids from adults

João Carrasqueira — Tue, 16 Mar 2021 17:28:01 +0000

Facebook's Instagram is working on a slew of changes to its platform that aim to protect children on its platform. This includes blocking DMs from adults to teens who don't follow them. Read more...

Safer Internet Day is more relevant than ever

Paul Hill — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 16:18:01 +0000

The Safer Internet Day campaign is marking its 18th birthday today. It provides resources for children, parents and carers, teachers and educators and more to make the internet a safer place. Read more...

Microsoft and UNICEF announce anti-violence tool Primero X

Paul Hill — Wed, 02 Dec 2020 20:50:01 +0000

Microsoft and UNICEF have announced a new version of Primero called Primero X. It will help social service workers around the world deliver better quality care to children and women. Read more...

UK charity sees surge in child abuse image reports

Paul Hill — Fri, 30 Oct 2020 13:38:01 +0000

The UK charity, Internet Watch Foundation, has reported an increase in reports of child sexual abuse content online. It said the lockdown meant more people were online and uncovering illegal content. Read more...

Ireland's DPC is investigating Instagram's handling of children's data

Usman Khan Lodhi — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 06:08:01 +0000

Ireland's Data Protection Commission (DPC) is investigating Instagram over the handling of children's data. If the app is found to have broken privacy laws, the regulator could issue a heavy fine. Read more...

Open letter asks tech firms to stop targeting ads at users under 18

Paul Hill — Fri, 18 Sep 2020 18:16:02 +0000

Google and Facebook have been asked to stop behavioural advertising and the tracking of people under the age of 18. Signatories argue kids don't understand how their data is being used. Read more...

UN agency says kids forced online earlier due to COVID-19

Paul Hill — Tue, 05 May 2020 21:32:01 +0000

The UN ITU has warned that children are being forced online by COVID-19 at an earlier age than their parents anticipated. It said that this leaves children vulnerable to harassment and bullying. Read more...

COVID-19 lockdown exposes digital poverty in the UK

Paul Hill — Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:56:01 +0000

The COVID-19 lockdown in the UK has brought the issue of digital poverty to the forefront. Many families in the country do not have access to a suitable computer or internet connection for education. Read more...

UK: Ofcom finds 50% of kids have a smartphone by 10 and WhatsApp use is growing among teens

Paul Hill — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 10:04:01 +0000

Ofcom has published a new report which shows how children were using digital devices and services in 2019. It found that more than 50% of children had a smartphone by the age of 10. Read more...

Increased screen-time might be impacting the physical structure of children's brains

Ather Fawaz — Tue, 05 Nov 2019 04:58:01 +0000

In a recently published study, researchers claim that increased screen usage by children is directly correlated with decreased white matter integrity, which plays a vital role in cognition. Read more...

UK: Research shows kids as young as eight have handed out personal details online

Paul Hill — Tue, 27 Aug 2019 13:38:01 +0000

O2 and the NSPCC have published new information from a study on 2,000 children in the UK and their online habits. They hope to help parents with online matters with the re-launched Net Aware site. Read more...

UK: Tech firms could be fined if they don't remove harmful videos

Paul Hill — Mon, 12 Aug 2019 09:40:01 +0000

The UK's digital regulator, Ofcom, could gain new powers next year which will allow it to fine tech companies that fail to remove inappropriate content from their platforms that children may see. Read more...

UK watchdog sets out to ban nudge techniques to protect kids online

Paul Hill — Mon, 15 Apr 2019 19:10:01 +0000

A UK watchdog has set out new rules that firms should follow when it comes to designing online services. The rules encourage services to put children's data privacy as a top priority. Read more...

Google has developed AI to help combat child sexual abuse material, gives it free to NGOs

Paul Hill — Mon, 03 Sep 2018 15:08:01 +0000

Google has announced a new AI tool that is now part of its Content Safety API. The new tool is intended to help organisations find and remove child sexual abuse materials on their platforms. Read more...

UK survey shows 86% of parents don't pay attention to age ratings for games

Usama Jawad — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 12:04:01 +0000

A new UK survey shows that 86% of interviewed parents do not pay any mind to age ratings for video games. Only 23% had the same to say regarding movies, which raises some interesting questions. Read more...

Facebook launches Messenger Kids app on Android

Paul Hill — Thu, 15 Feb 2018 08:04:01 +0000

Facebook has launched Messenger Kids for Android. The software lets parents tightly control who their children can interact with on the app, and chats can be easily reviewed as they can't be deleted. Read more...