United Kingdom: Social Media

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, introducing comprehensive restrictions on minors' access to social media and video-sharing platforms while imposing extensive online safety requirements across digital services. This landmark legislation will require businesses to implement safety-by-design frameworks, age verification systems, and guardian controls, with particularly stringent compliance obligations for Very Large Online Platforms that must prove their services are safe through independ

The UK government is introducing sweeping new legislation requiring tech platforms to build device-level protections for children and prevent apps from enabling access to or sharing of nudity. With social media bans on track for spring 2027, strengthened Ofcom codes mandating hash-matching technology, and expanded ICO enforcement, these four major developments are fundamentally reshaping how children interact with the digital world.

The European Commission has proposed the EU KIDS Act, a comprehensive regulatory framework establishing a minimum age of 15 for social media access and mandating safety-by-design principles for digital services accessible to minors. This analysis explores how the Act's four pillars compare with the UK's Online Safety Act, examines its relationship with existing EU digital regulations including the DSA and upcoming Digital Fairness Act, and outlines the practical compliance implications for platforms operati

The internet has transformed modern life drastically and plays an important role in communication and access to information.

Social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram have fundamentally transformed product marketing and consumer access, but this digital revolution has brought significant intellectual property challenges. How can brand owners protect their trademarks and reputation when counterfeits proliferate through influencer marketing, "dupe" culture blurs the line between legitimate competition and infringement, and upcycled products create both opportunities and risks?

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has published new guidance on the use of AI-generated content and deepfakes in advertising, reinforcing that existing rules apply in full, regardless of how ads are created.

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act has received Royal Assent. It includes a new power enabling the UK government to act quickly in response to findings from the ongoing Children's Digital Wellbeing consultation.

The FCA has participated in international action to stop illegal finfluencers putting consumers' money at risk. Finfluencers are social media personalities who use their platform to promote financial products...

This week, we are considering the vital role that IP contributes to business success and how to navigate a global brand and put this into practice.