The California legislature has stepped back from a plan that would have expanded its age-gating law, removing language that could have compounded serious threats to users’ speech, privacy and security just to browse the internet. A.B. 1856, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, will now move forward through the legislature without its most problematic pieces.

Canada's federal government has proposed banning everyone under 16 from social media — but legal experts say the bill's most significant privacy impact falls on tens of millions of Canadian adults who never consented to handing their identity documents to a third-party verification company. Bill C-34, the Safe Social Media Act, is now at second reading in the House of Commons as Parliament sits in summer recess, with debate set to resume in September.

Rumors suggest Congress may revive the App Store Freedom Act, mandating dominant app marketplaces like Apple and Google allow third-party app stores and sideloading. Critics argue this legislation is anti-consumer and dangerous, highlighting the increasing sophistication of scammers who now employ AI for tactics like voice cloning to bypass security.

As kids’ online safety remains a priority for policymakers and parents alike, lawmakers have introduced a number of legislative proposals that would change standards for how much digital platforms need to know about the age of users.

It feels like an eternity ago, but it has only been less than a year since Australia made global headlines by introducing the world's first nationwide under-16s social media ban. Even longer, perhaps, since mandatory age verification checks have landed in the UK.

BRUSSELS — The European Commission asked Meta to change the addictive design of its social media platforms Instagram and Facebook or risk fines for breaking the EU's online child safety rules.

Imagine having to provide a government ID before downloading an app to clock in at work, submit homework, check the weather, or access your bank account. Under a new Texas law, that could become a reality for millions of people.

Every parent wants to know their child is safe online. Congress has an opportunity to make that a reality, but only if it gets the policy right.

The Texas Supreme Court just upheld the 2025 App Store Accountability Act, a law that requires app stores to verify users’ ages. Multiple organizations sued the state, arguing that the law violates children’s freedom of speech, but the Supreme Court has allowed the law to take effect.