Browsing Tag
Child Online Safety
8 posts
Technology policy, platform design, and safety measures affecting children and teenagers online.
Teen Accounts Reached 135 Nudify Apps Despite Parental Controls
A new test found that 13-year-old accounts could download 135 nudify-capable apps from Apple and Google stores. Age ratings, purchase approvals and app removals all left gaps.
ChatGPT for Teens Makes Age Checks a Default AI Safety Layer
OpenAI launched ChatGPT for Teens on August 18, automatically applying stricter safeguards, study-focused behavior, quiet hours, and optional parental controls for users ages 13 to 17. The useful shift is not just a family settings menu, but age assurance becoming a default layer for consumer AI.
India Summons Meta After Instagram CSAM Ads Expose an Ad-Review Failure
India is summoning Meta after a BBC investigation found paid Instagram ads in India directing users toward child sexual abuse material on Telegram. The case points to a specific platform-safety failure: promoted content that should have been screened before it ever reached users.
Australia’s Social Media Ban Is Becoming a Proof Test for Big Tech
Australia wants to double penalties for under-16 social media age-ban breaches to A$99 million and give its eSafety Commissioner stronger powers to demand evidence from platforms, app stores, and age-assurance vendors. The fight is shifting from account removals to proof that age checks actually work.
Apple Opens iOS App Stores and Payments in Brazil Under CADE Deal
Apple’s CADE agreement opens iOS app distribution and payments in Brazil through alternative app marketplaces and outside payment options, but the new rules keep Apple in the loop through notarization, marketplace authorization, child-safety requirements, and fresh commission terms.
Meta Expands Teen Accounts With AI Age Checks and Parent Alerts
Meta is rolling out 13+ Teen Account defaults across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger while using AI age assurance to find younger users who list adult birthdays. The update shows how teen safety is becoming a platform enforcement system, not just a parental-control setting.
AI Preemption Is Being Pulled Into the Kids’ Online Safety Fight
Washington’s AI preemption push is now tangled with KOSA, age verification, AI-companion rules, and digital-replica policy. That makes a national AI law more politically tempting and more complicated for platforms, AI companies, and states.
UK’s Under-16 Social Media Plan Pushes Age Checks Into Games and AI Chatbots
The UK is preparing an “Australia plus” under-16 social media plan that would reach beyond TikTok and Instagram into gaming chat, late-night scrolling, AI chatbots, and age-verification systems.