Social media bans are spreading across the world. France joined Australia in restricting minors from major platforms, though a court blocked France's ban on human rights grounds. The UK aims to forbid kids under 16 from Facebook, TikTok and other platforms in early 2027, and the EU has announced its own plan to prohibit social media for children under 15.
Early lessons from Australia, which enacted a ban in 2024, show that these age restrictions are easily circumvented. Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia and Danah Boyd argue that instead of chasing bans, we should focus on keeping kids safe.
Pet owners also have new ways to extend their years with their animals. Jessica Hamzelou writes that options now include drugs, cloning and even cryonics, raising the question of whether such measures are a good thing. She recalls losing her childhood cat, Peppy, as a reminder of how painful it is to say goodbye.
Elsewhere in the newsletter, insurance is emerging as a major hurdle for AI companies, which are facing billions of dollars in legal liabilities from the damage their products cause. The FTC has sent subpoenas to OpenAI and Anthropic over consumer harms. Meanwhile, an AI sell-off has rattled global markets, with many questioning the sustainability of demand for data centers.
Source: MIT Technology Review · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing