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Social Media

Instagram can now read your teen’s private messages

After Molly Russell, Pinterest did the work most platforms still won’t

Wellbeing

How to read an official warning about your child’s screen time, without taking it on trust

Social Media

What changed on Snap, Meta and Roblox this week — and what TikTok and YouTube refused to change

Safety

We’ve rebuilt the Wired Parents Scorecard

Latest Stories

Gaming

Roblox just raised the age for its most popular games to 16

From 19 May, Roblox restricts Social Hangouts, free-form roleplay games and sensitive content to ID-verified 16+ users.

Social Media

Instagram is showing parents the algorithm — but not the content

From 12 May, parents using Instagram supervision can see the topics shaping their teen's algorithm. A real change, and a real limit.

Screen Time

The biggest study yet of school phone bans is in, and the wellbeing finding is what matters

A new study of 4,600 US schools using phone pouches confirms the policy works for the reason that always mattered most: how children feel at school

Social Media

The EU just put a social media age limit on the table

Ursula von der Leyen says the EU could propose a social media age limit this summer. What's actually on the table and what it means globally.

Safety

An eyebrow pencil, the Online Safety Act, and the case for going further

New UK research finds age checks are easy to fool, and that the things parents most want regulated aren't even in the Act yet.

Social Media

Australia just changed the rules. The algorithm is now the target.

Five months into the world's first under-16 social media ban, Australia has quietly amended the rules to put the algorithm itself in scope.

Safety

Who should verify your child’s age — the app, or the phone?

A fight is unfolding in US courts and Congress over whether apps or app stores should verify your child's age.

Social Media

The UK now has the power to restrict children’s social media

The Children's Wellbeing and Schools Act is now law. The government can restrict under-16s' access to social media features without a new Act of Parliament.

Social Media

Meta is now using AI to catch kids who lied about their age

Meta's expanding its AI age-detection tool to Facebook in the US and Instagram across 27 EU countries. Here's what it changes for your child's account.