platform bans

The UK government has announced a ban on pornography depicting strangulation, suffocation or incest, making it an offence to produce or distribute such material. Ministers say the measures aim to protect performers and address violence against women, following campaigns by MPs and safety groups. The move is part of broader tightening of online content rules, with platforms expected to remove prohibited material and enforcement questions now turning to how the ban will be policed across sites based overseas.

A federal appeals court has upheld Florida's law restricting how social media platforms moderate content. The decision allows the state to continue enforcing rules that penalize platforms for banning or deplatforming political candidates and users. The ruling is a significant development in the ongoing legal battle over states' ability to regulate online speech, with implications for similar laws elsewhere in the country.

A US appeals court has upheld Florida's law banning children from holding social media accounts, a measure passed to restrict young people's access to platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. The ruling keeps in place one of the strictest state-level restrictions on minors' social media use in the country, and is expected to influence similar laws debated in other states.

Mexico has moved to ban violent content on social media for children, according to a report by The New York Times. The measure restricts minors' exposure to violent material on major platforms. Further details about how the ban will be enforced, which platforms are covered, and when it takes effect were not included in the available reporting.

Germany's cabinet, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz's government, has approved a plan to ban social media use for children under 13. The decision makes Germany one of the European countries moving to restrict minors' access to social platforms, following debates over child safety online. The measure has drawn attention across Europe, where regulators are weighing similar protections for young users.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Utah seeking to overturn the state's total ban on gambling in order to shield the prediction-market platform Kalshi. The legal move comes as Kalshi aggressively expands in the US, flooding sports media with promo codes offering bonuses of $25 to $55 tied to NFL, NBA and college football matchups. The case highlights a growing federal-state clash over whether event contracts count as gambling.

Brazilian authorities are moving on multiple fronts against betting platforms. Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski's ministries, added by STF minister Luiz Fux, are now part of discussions on bets regulation. Banks have until Wednesday to return balances from betting accounts, consumer groups demand a seat in hearings on the bets provisional measure, Congress received 58 amendments to the MP that bans bets, and São Paulo police arrested three suspects in an operation against an illegal betting scheme.

Prediction market operator Kalshi and its two co-founders are facing felony charges in Utah for allegedly violating the state's gambling laws. The case has drawn attention because the Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Utah seeking to block the state's total gambling ban as it applies to Kalshi, setting up a clash between federal support for the platform and state-level enforcement.

Controversial streamer Vitaly has reportedly been banned from the streaming platform Kick once more, following his latest 'Catching Predators' style broadcast. The move reignites debate over how platforms moderate streamers who stage vigilante stings, with Kick previously banning and reinstating him. Elsewhere, talk around 'Kick' also touches on football, where Cristiano Ronaldo risks losing his historic Champions League goalscoring record to Harry Kane.

Russia's embassy in Oslo has issued a rebuttal to accusations made by Norwegian politician Ine Eriksen Søreide. The embassy's response made two points, first noting that Facebook has been blocked in Russia since March 2022, arguing Meta's platform is unavailable there and questioning the relevance of the claims against it. The exchange has drawn attention amid ongoing tensions between Norway and Russia over influence and information issues.

The Trump administration has filed a lawsuit against Utah to block the state's outright ban on gambling as it applies to Kalshi, the prediction markets platform. The Justice Department has now sued 10 states over efforts to shut down gambling on prediction markets, escalating a federal-state conflict over whether these markets count as regulated gambling.

Greece has enacted a law banning social media use for children under the age of 15. The move puts the country among a growing group of governments imposing age restrictions on social platforms, reflecting wider concern over the effects of social media on children's mental health, privacy and development. The news is drawing discussion about how the ban will be enforced and whether other countries should follow suit.

Brazilian influencer Boca de 09, known for provocative streams and a popular catchphrase, has had his TikTok account banned following a controversial live broadcast. The ban is drawing attention across Brazilian social media, with fans and critics debating whether the platform's decision was justified or excessive.

Dutch MP Barbara Kathmann has tabled a proposal in the Dutch Parliament to ban harmful addictive design features across online services. The measure targets endless scrolling, autoplay and manipulative algorithms, and would cover social media, gaming, dating apps and streaming platforms. The proposal forms part of a wider debate in Europe on protecting users, especially young people, from manipulative online design.

A BBC report highlights the paradox around Twitter and China: the platform is blocked for ordinary Chinese users, yet Donald Trump uses it freely to fire off messages about Beijing, including during his Asia trip. Former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt drew attention to the story, prompting discussion about unequal access to global platforms and the irony of Trump using a banned service to criticise China.

Flashscore, the live sports score service, is surging in search across Spain, Russia, Canada and the Netherlands. Interest appears tied to a busy football calendar, with Spanish outlets covering Facundo Bernal's four-match ban and Manu Fajardo's two-game suspension, which Real Betis plans to appeal, and Michael Carrick disputing a red card decision. Fans rely on live-score platforms to follow matches in real time.

Waze has pushed back against claims by Malaysian authorities that the navigation app poses data security risks, after civil servants in the country were barred from using it. The company rejected the allegations, but the restrictions have raised questions about how governments assess foreign-owned navigation platforms and the location data they collect.

Australia's High Court has begun hearing a bid to overturn the country's landmark ban on social media use by children under 16, the first law of its kind in the world. The challenge tests whether the restriction is lawful, with debate centring on children's online safety versus digital rights and platform obligations. Australia's policy is being watched internationally as other governments consider similar age limits.

Greece has passed a law banning social media use for people under 15, making platforms and parents responsible for compliance and introducing anonymous age verification. Greek lawmakers chose not to wait for an EU-wide regulation on the issue, moving ahead nationally with one of the stricter age limits in Europe. The move is being closely watched as a potential model for other countries debating online child protection rules.

The British prime minister has announced a ban on social media use for children aged 16 and under. The announcement was carried by ABC News. Details on how the ban would be implemented, which platforms it covers, or when it takes effect have not been provided.

Australia's government is defending its ban on social media use for under-16s in a legal challenge before the country's top court, describing the restriction as a 'modest' step rather than an extreme measure. The case tests whether the world-first law, which forces platforms to keep teenagers off their services, is legally valid, with the government arguing it is a proportionate child-safety measure.

Apple has updated its insider trading policy to explicitly bar employees from using confidential company information to place bets on prediction markets, according to a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The move reflects the rapid growth of platforms like Polymarket, where traders wager on real-world outcomes, and closes a loophole that existing insider trading rules did not clearly address. Commenters note Apple may be the first major company to formalize such a ban.

The European Union has put on hold moves to allow individual member states to ban children from social media platforms. Several countries had pushed for national-level restrictions on minors' access, but EU institutions have decided to pause the initiative for now. The decision leaves the question of how to protect minors online unresolved, and debate is expected to continue over whether rules should be set at EU or national level.

Reddit is arguing in Australia's High Court that the country's under-16s social media ban is 'ill-thought-out' and unlawful. The platform contends the ban impinges the implied freedom of political communication, a constitutional protection in Australian law. The case tests whether the world-first law, which blocks under-16s from major social platforms, can stand against constitutional scrutiny.

UK High Court proceedings have heard that children's social media services could be made algorithm-free as an alternative to an outright ban, with platforms potentially keeping child accounts online only if they remove recommendation-driven feeds. The idea is being discussed as a way to protect young users from harmful algorithmic content while avoiding the shutting down of services for under-16s entirely.

The European Commission is pushing back against national attempts to introduce interim bans on social media platforms such as TikTok, arguing that member states should wait for EU-wide rules rather than acting alone. Negotiations at European level could drag on, leaving countries that want stricter limits on children's and teens' platform use in limbo. The move has sparked debate over whether Brussels is protecting the single market or delaying child protection.

Australia's High Court has begun hearing a legal challenge seeking to overturn the country's ban on social media use by children under 16. The law, among the strictest of its kind globally, has drawn debate over children's online safety versus digital rights and platform responsibilities, with the court's ruling set to shape how the landmark restriction is enforced.