Children’s rights

India strengthens online child safety rules for social media

India is strengthening enforcement of its online child safety framework by introducing stricter obligations for social media platforms, including faster content removal requirements and new safeguards for AI-generated content.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said it has requested a detailed report from a social media platform following allegations that advertisements linked to child sexual abuse material (CSAM) appeared on its service. The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights has also issued notices to the platforms concerned.

The updated framework significantly shortens compliance deadlines for intermediaries. Platforms must remove unlawful content within three hours of receiving a court order or a reasoned government notice, compared with the previous 36-hour deadline.

Complaints involving nudity, morphed intimate images and similar sensitive content must be addressed within two hours, while intermediaries are also required to report offences involving CSAM and other relevant crimes to the appropriate authorities.

The amendments also expand obligations for AI-generated content. Intermediaries must ensure that permissible synthetic content is clearly labelled and accompanied by traceable metadata, while preventing the creation and dissemination of unlawful AI-generated material, including child sexual exploitation material, non-consensual intimate imagery, impersonation and deepfakes.

Significant social media intermediaries must also deploy automated tools and other technical measures to proactively detect CSAM and previously identified illegal content. India said compliance will be reinforced through government advisories and a standard operating procedure on non-consensual intimate imagery issued in 2025.

Authorities warned that platforms failing to meet their due diligence obligations could lose the liability protections provided under Section 79 of the Information Technology Act and face prosecution under applicable laws.

Why does it matter?

India’s measures reflect a broader shift towards faster and more proactive platform accountability. Rather than relying primarily on user reports, regulators are increasingly requiring platforms to respond within hours, deploy automated detection systems and demonstrate that they can effectively prevent the spread of harmful content.

The inclusion of specific obligations for AI-generated content also illustrates how online safety regulation is evolving to address emerging risks such as deepfakes and synthetic child exploitation material. Together, the measures reinforce the expectation that platforms are responsible not only for removing illegal content but also for preventing its creation, distribution and recurrence.

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France adopts law banning under-15s from social media

France’s parliament has approved legislation that will prohibit children under 15 from accessing social media, making it the first European country to introduce a nationwide ban of this kind. The law, backed by both the National Assembly and the Senate, will be implemented in two phases, with age verification for all new accounts beginning in September 2026 and extending to all existing accounts from January 2027.

Under the new rules, social media platforms will be required to use age verification systems approved by the French data protection authority (CNIL). From January 2027, every user in France will have to verify that they are at least 15 years old to continue accessing social media services.

French Digital Minister Anne Le Hénanff said the timetable is achievable because age verification technologies are already available, while President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the law as a key step in protecting young people online.

The legislation comes as European governments are increasingly considering stricter safeguards for minors’ online activity. The UK plans to prohibit under-16s from accessing social media from January 2027, while the European Commission is examining additional measures to strengthen child protection online. France follows Australia, which introduced a similar ban for under-16s in late 2025, although early evidence suggests many children continue to access social media despite the restrictions.

Privacy advocates and digital rights experts have questioned whether age verification technologies can be implemented without compromising users’ privacy. Others have warned that determined teenagers may circumvent the restrictions or migrate to less regulated online platforms. Experts have also argued that involving young people in designing such policies could improve their effectiveness and reduce unintended consequences, including reduced access to news and civic participation.

Why does it matter?

France’s legislation reflects a growing shift from platform self-regulation towards direct government intervention in protecting children online. Rather than relying primarily on platforms to introduce safety features, lawmakers are increasingly imposing mandatory age verification and restricting access to online services through legislation.

The law also highlights the policy trade-offs at the centre of the online child safety debate. While stronger age assurance measures may reduce children’s exposure to harmful content, they also raise questions about privacy, the proportionality of mandatory identity checks, and the practical effectiveness of enforcing age-based restrictions. As other European countries and the EU consider similar measures, France’s approach is likely to become an important test case for future online safety regulation.

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Meta expands Threads parental controls for teenagers

Meta is expanding parental supervision on Threads with new tools that allow parents and guardians to monitor activity, set screen-time limits and manage privacy settings for teenage users.

The tools will begin rolling out in the United States next week through Meta’s Family Center. They build on the company’s existing Teen Accounts, which provide private profiles and restrictions on potentially sensitive content by default.

Parents will be able to view a teenager’s Threads usage over the previous seven days, including average daily screen time, set daily usage limits and block access during selected hours or days.

The restrictions apply across devices, while supervision also extends to overnight use through sleep mode, which mutes notifications and enables automatic replies between 10 pm and 7 am by default.

Parents can also manage who is allowed to tag teenagers in posts and approve changes to selected privacy and sensitive-content settings.

For users under 16, parents may decide whether default Teen Account protections can be relaxed.

Meta said the expanded supervision tools are intended to provide families with a single place to manage teenage experiences across its apps and that additional features will be introduced over time.

The controls can be activated through Meta’s Family Center once supervision has been established between a parent and teenager.

Why does it matter?

The expanded supervision tools reflect growing pressure on social media platforms to provide parents with greater oversight of children’s online experiences. Features such as screen-time limits, overnight restrictions and stronger privacy controls are increasingly becoming standard expectations rather than optional additions.

The effectiveness of these measures, however, will depend on accurate age verification, teenagers’ ability to circumvent restrictions and the extent to which parental controls are complemented by platform-wide safety measures. The announcement also reflects a wider regulatory trend, with governments increasingly expecting platforms to offer stronger protections for younger users.

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Victoria proposes tougher child safety laws for social media and AI

Victoria’s Labor government plans to introduce child safety laws that would make it easier for families to bring legal claims against social media and AI companies accused of harming children.

The proposed reforms would remove the requirement for claims brought on behalf of minors to demonstrate permanent psychiatric impairment of at least 10% before proceedings against social media or AI providers can begin.

The government argues that addictive platform features can damage children’s mental health and that the current legal threshold creates an unnecessary barrier for affected families seeking compensation.

The reforms would also give the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) new powers to issue ‘demasking orders’, requiring social media companies to reveal the identities of anonymous users accused of online vilification.

Premier Jacinta Allan said families should be able to hold technology companies accountable when their platforms harm children and that anonymity should not shield users responsible for hateful conduct.

The government will also consider whether the lower legal threshold should apply to claims involving adults before finalising the legislation. The reforms will be developed through targeted consultations with VCAT, the courts and other stakeholders before being introduced to parliament.

Why does it matter?

The proposed reforms reflect a growing international trend towards holding technology companies more accountable for the real-world impacts of platform design, particularly where children are concerned. Lowering the threshold for legal claims could make it easier for families to seek redress while increasing pressure on platforms to address features that may contribute to harm.

The introduction of ‘demasking orders’ also illustrates how online safety policy is expanding beyond content moderation to include stronger legal mechanisms for identifying anonymous users and enforcing accountability. If adopted, the legislation could influence similar debates in other jurisdictions considering tougher platform liability rules.

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IWF partners with Tuteliq to strengthen child online safety

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) has partnered with Swedish behavioural detection technology company Tuteliq to strengthen the early detection of online grooming and child sexual abuse material (CSAM).

As a new IWF Member, Tuteliq will integrate the organisation’s URL List and Image Hash List into its detection platform, enabling online services to identify and block known CSAM more effectively.

Unlike traditional moderation systems that analyse individual messages or files, Tuteliq’s technology examines how conversations evolve over time to identify behavioural patterns associated with grooming, coercion and online sexual exploitation before abuse occurs.

The platform analyses text, voice, images and video across 27 languages and is intended for youth-focused apps, gaming platforms, sports organisations and other online communities.

The partnership combines Tuteliq’s behavioural analysis with the IWF’s verified databases of known CSAM, aiming to strengthen prevention alongside detection by enabling earlier intervention before harmful content is created or shared.

Tuteliq said its platform retains no user data, is hosted within the EU and is designed to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)..

Beyond the technical integration, Tuteliq will also draw on the IWF’s research, policy expertise and threat intelligence to further develop its detection models. According to the organisations, the collaboration reflects a broader shift towards combining behavioural analysis with verified intelligence to improve online child protection.

Why does it matter?

The partnership reflects a broader shift from reactive content moderation towards preventing online abuse before illegal material is created or shared. Behavioural AI capable of identifying grooming patterns could allow platforms to intervene earlier, potentially reducing harm before exploitation escalates.

At the same time, expanding behavioural detection raises important questions about transparency, privacy and accountability. As platforms increasingly analyse patterns of user behaviour rather than individual pieces of content, ensuring appropriate safeguards and oversight will become an important part of child online safety governance.

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Claude for Teachers released for verified US educators

Anthropic has launched Claude for Teachers, offering verified K-12 educators in the US free access to premium Claude features, teaching skills and curriculum-aligned resources.

The product is designed to help teachers plan lessons, adapt materials, differentiate instruction and manage classroom workflows.

Claude for Teachers connects to Learning Commons, giving it access to academic standards across all 50 US states and related learning competencies.

Anthropic says the tool can use those standards to draft scaffolded lesson plans and student-facing materials based on widely used curricula, including OpenSciEd and Illustrative Mathematics.

Educators can also connect Claude with K-12 tools such as ASSISTments, Brisk Teaching, Canva Education, Coteach, Diffit, Eedi, MagicSchool, Snorkl and TeachFX.

The platform includes tailored teaching skills grounded in learning science, with use cases including standards-aligned lesson planning, differentiated materials and analysis of class data for instructional planning.

Anthropic says that Claude for Teachers is for educators only and complies with K-12 privacy requirements.

Data from the product will not be used for model training, and student information is covered by a K-12 Data Processing Addendum designed to comply with FERPA.

The company is also working with the American Federation of Teachers on safety and privacy principles for AI in education.

Verified educators can access Claude for Teachers free of charge if they sign up by 30 June 2027, with a dedicated version for schools and districts planned later.

Why does it matter?

Claude for Teachers shows how major AI companies are moving from general-purpose chatbots into specialised education tools with curriculum alignment, workflow integrations and sector-specific privacy commitments. The launch could support lesson planning and differentiated instruction. Still, it also raises familiar questions about student data, vendor dependence, AI quality, teacher autonomy and how schools evaluate the educational impact of AI tools before scaling them.

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Ofcom says age checks expand but more action needed

Ofcom has published its 2026 Use of Age Assurance Report, finding that age-assurance measures have expanded rapidly over the past year while calling for further action to strengthen online protections for children under the UK’s Online Safety Act.

The report examines the first six months after child protection duties took effect in July 2025, covering pornography, social media and online dating services. Ofcom said highly effective age assurance can significantly improve child safety, although no single method can completely prevent circumvention.

Ofcom said social media platforms have not consistently enforced their existing minimum age requirements and urged services relying on age inference to combine it with other highly effective methods. It also called on pornography services that have yet to introduce age checks to do so without delay, stressing that regulated services remain responsible for ensuring their age-assurance measures are effective.

The regulator also confirmed it will provide Parliament with an assessment by the end of October on how age checks for users over 16 could operate in practice, ahead of proposed social media restrictions expected in 2027.

Why does it matter?

The report provides one of the first comprehensive assessments of how age-assurance requirements are being implemented under the Online Safety Act. Its findings are likely to shape future enforcement priorities and inform policy discussions on additional age-based restrictions for social media services.

The report also suggests that age assurance is evolving into a broader ecosystem responsibility rather than a platform-only obligation. By highlighting the roles of search engines, app stores and device manufacturers alongside online services, Ofcom signals that effective child protection will increasingly depend on coordinated action across the digital ecosystem.

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Ofcom investigates TikTok age assurance under UK’s Online Safety Act

Ofcom has opened an investigation into TikTok age assurance and the platform’s compliance with child safety duties under the UK’s Online Safety Act.

The investigation will examine whether TikTok uses proportionate systems and processes to prevent children from encountering content classified as harmful under the Act.

Since 25 July 2025, user-to-user services likely to be accessed by children have been required to prevent minors from encountering primary priority content harmful to children. Platforms must also protect different age groups from other forms of harmful material.

Where primary priority content is available, providers must use age-assurance systems that are highly effective at determining whether a user is a child, unless the content is prohibited for all users under the platform’s terms of service.

Ofcom said the investigation follows its review of measures adopted by major platforms and findings from its report on children’s online experiences, which raised concerns about minors encountering harmful content on TikTok.

A separate report on age assurance also suggested that age-estimation models, including those used by TikTok, may have failed to identify a significant proportion of children correctly.

The regulator will assess whether TikTok’s age-assurance measures meet the legal standard of being ‘highly effective’ and whether any shortcomings may have left children exposed to harmful content.

The regulator stressed that opening the investigation does not mean it has concluded that TikTok breached the law. Its first step will be to use formal information-gathering powers to collect and analyse evidence.

TikTok may choose to follow Ofcom’s Protection of Children Codes of Practice or adopt alternative measures. However, any alternative approach must still satisfy the platform’s legal obligations under the Online Safety Act.

If Ofcom identifies failures involving TikTok age assurance or other child protection systems, it could impose a fine of up to £18 million or 10% of qualifying worldwide revenue, whichever is greater.

In the most serious cases, Ofcom can seek a court order requiring third parties, including payment providers, advertisers and internet service providers, to withdraw services from or block access to a platform in UK.

The investigation is expected to take at least three months, with Ofcom planning to publish an update in October 2026.

Why does it matter?

The investigation will provide an early test of how rigorously Ofcom enforces the Online Safety Act’s child protection duties against major platforms. Its outcome could help define what constitutes ‘highly effective’ age assurance and shape industry expectations for protecting minors online.

The case also reflects a broader shift towards holding platforms accountable not only for removing harmful content but for demonstrating that their safety systems work in practice. Any enforcement action is likely to influence how other online services approach age verification and child safety compliance in the UK.

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UK plans default overnight social media restrictions for teenagers

The UK government plans to introduce default overnight social media restrictions for 16- and 17-year-olds, alongside measures to limit features designed to encourage prolonged platform use.

Social media platforms will be expected to activate overnight restrictions from midnight to 6 a.m. by default for users in this age group. Teenagers will be able to change the settings, but the protections will be enabled automatically.

Autoplay and continuously personalised content feeds will also be disabled by default. The government said these features can encourage prolonged use and reinforce potentially addictive patterns of engagement.

The measures are intended to avoid a sudden reduction in online protections when children turn 16. They complement the government’s previously announced plans to prohibit social media services from being offered to children under 16 from spring 2027.

The proposals follow a government pilot involving more than 300 teenagers and parents across the UK. Participating families said the overnight restrictions became part of their routines and helped improve sleep and concentration.

Technology Secretary Liz Kendall said older teenagers should retain greater independence while continuing to receive protection from features that could negatively affect their wellbeing.

The government also plans additional protections for children using AI chatbots. Proposed measures include encouraging regular breaks for users under 18 and taking action against services that provide dangerous, misleading or unverified mental health advice.

Ministers will work with regulators and other government departments to consider further restrictions, including possible bans on chatbots considered to pose a serious risk to children. Guidance for children, parents and guardians will also be added to the Kids Online Safety Hub.

Schools will strengthen media literacy through Relationships, Sex and Health Education classes covering AI, chatbots, misinformation and harmful online content. From September 2028, media literacy will also be embedded across the National Curriculum, including lessons on AI, data science, source analysis and technological bias.

The first regulations supporting the under-16 social media restrictions are expected to be presented to Parliament by the end of 2026, with implementation and enforcement planned for spring 2027.

Why does it matter?

The proposals reflect a growing shift from focusing solely on access to social media towards regulating how digital services are designed and used. By targeting autoplay, personalised feeds and AI chatbots alongside age-based protections, the government is seeking to address features that may contribute to excessive use and online harms.

If adopted, the measures could further shape debates on youth online safety beyond the UK, reinforcing the trend towards safety-by-design, stronger protections for minors and greater platform responsibility for children’s digital wellbeing.

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Australia’s eSafety report highlights gaps in child safety measures

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has published its third transparency report assessing how major technology companies are tackling child sexual exploitation and abuse under the country’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

The report concludes that significant gaps remain across major platforms, particularly in responding to the growing threat of sexual extortion targeting children and young adults.

The report examines the practices of Apple, Discord, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Snap and WhatsApp, highlighting shortcomings in proactive detection technologies, reporting tools and safety measures. According to eSafety, many platforms in Australia are not fully using available technologies, including language analysis tools capable of identifying coercive scripts used by offenders.

The report also identifies weaknesses in reporting mechanisms across several messaging services and notes that private messaging and video environments remain particularly challenging for detecting sexual extortion and livestreamed child sexual abuse.

Between July and December 2025, eSafety received more than 2,000 complaints relating to sexual extortion, with men aged 18 to 24 accounting for the largest group of victims. Separate research with the Australian Institute of Criminology found that more than one in ten adolescents aged 16 to 18 had experienced sexual extortion, while more than half of victims were first targeted before the age of 16.

The report also notes that Microsoft is currently the only provider using dedicated tools to detect and disrupt livestreamed child sexual abuse during video calls.

While eSafety acknowledged incremental improvements—including Google’s and Snap’s enhanced detection of known child sexual abuse material, Meta’s expanded grooming detection and Discord’s blocking of known child sexual abuse URLs—it argued that much stronger action is still needed.

The Commissioner called for wider deployment of proactive detection technologies, faster responses to victim reports and greater investment in tools capable of preventing abuse before it occurs.

Why does it matter?

The report highlights growing regulatory expectations that online platforms should actively prevent child sexual exploitation rather than rely primarily on user reports. As threats such as sexual extortion become more sophisticated, regulators are increasingly scrutinising whether companies are deploying available technologies to detect and disrupt abuse.

The findings also reinforce a broader shift towards safety-by-design in online regulation. By identifying gaps in detection, reporting and intervention, the report could increase pressure on technology companies to strengthen protections across messaging, social media and video services.

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