The government is expected to table the Digital Safety Act on Wednesday with reports that it will include a ban on social media for those under 16, framed as a “temporary” measure that platforms can exit once a new digital regulator certifies their safety standards...

Online age verification has been an issue for more than a decade—and one that has not yet found a perfect solution. As social media and AI come under increasing scrutiny for their impact on teens and children, age verification has become even more relevant.

This week, software makers are gathering in Cupertino for Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). Especially interesting for parents and developers are the many updates to the parental control and kids’ safety features...

Throughout my time representing Utah’s 2nd District in Congress, I consistently sounded the alarm on the devastating effects that social media has had on our nation’s youth. The data speaks for itself: the unchecked spread of addictive algorithms and predatory platforms correlates directly with skyrocketing rates of anxiety, depression, and self-harm among minors. For too long, parents have been completely outgunned by Big Tech, left to fight a multi-billion-dollar industry on their own.

On June 4, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued a stay pending appeal in Students Engaged in Advancing Texas v. Paxton, the case challenging Texas’s App Store Accountability Act. This ruling means Texas’s law is now enforceable while the appeal works its way through the courts.

NetChoice urges Governor Pritzker to veto HB 5511, a bill that undermines the First Amendment rights of Illinois users while exposing their most sensitive personal data to serious harm. This bill mandates age verification systems that restrict minors’ access to lawful speech online — the very kind of content restriction federal courts have struck down repeatedly nationwide. By requiring platforms to collect and share sensitive personal data for every user..

The internet is an essential resource for young people and adults to access information, explore community, and find themselves—both inside countries and across continents. Yet governments around the world continue to introduce and implement legislation requiring all online users to verify their ages before accessing the digital space. In some cases, politicians are going further, putting forth proposals to ban social media for younger users.

A Texas law that puts age assurance requirements on app stores can stand – for now. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit has sided with Attorney General Ken Paxton, pausing a 2025 federal district court injunction blocking Senate Bill 2420 until further legal notice.

Washington – A federal court agreed with the Texas Attorney General’s request to temporarily lift a block of the state’s controversial App Store Accountability Act today, a decision that allows the law to take effect.