United Kingdom: Social Media

The UK government has introduced sweeping new regulations targeting social media use by teenagers, implementing mandatory curfews and anti-addiction controls for 16- and 17-year-olds. These measures place age verification and assurance mechanisms at the core of platform compliance requirements, fundamentally reshaping how social media companies must operate in the UK market.

When Norwegian Air challenged British Airways to a social media wager ahead of England's World Cup quarter-final, the losing airline agreed to replace its profile picture with the winner's logo. England won, and Norwegian temporarily displayed the British Airways logo on Instagram. While this friendly marketing stunt generated publicity for both brands, it raises important questions about trade mark usage, brand protection, and the legal considerations that should underpin even the most lighthearted corpora

The UK government plans to introduce a comprehensive ban on social media access for children under 16, expanding beyond Australia's approach to include restrictions on harmful functions like livestreaming and stranger communication. Building on the Online Safety Act 2023, the ban will require highly effective age assurance measures and place enforcement responsibility with Ofcom, though early research from Australia suggests implementation challenges ahead.

The European Commission has launched a privacy-preserving age-verification app designed to help platforms comply with the Digital Services Act, but Member States are simultaneously implementing divergent national age...

New UK legislation supplements the UK's online safety regime as the government comes under increasing pressure to ban social media for under-16s. What are the changes?

The Charity Commission has revised its social media guidance to address new obligations under the Online Safety Act 2023. Charities operating online forums or messaging services where users can post content...

When advertising age-restricted products online in the UK, it's crucial for advertisers to understand the framework established by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) and the Committee of Advertising...

The High Court's decision in Kamal v Tax Policy Associates [2026] EWHC 551 (KB) has attracted considerable attention as the first judicial application...

The 'charitable purpose soft opt-in' provisions of the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 ('the DUAA') came into force on 5 February 2026...