Tech firms must ‘tame’ algorithms under Ofcom child safety rules
Regulator calls on social media firms to use robust age checks to keep harmful content away from children
January 2024
UK parents worried about screens, but children say they now feel safer online
Internet Matters says survey shows rise in children’s ‘positive developmental, emotional and social experiences’
December 2023
Rights and freedom
Meta platforms are marketplaces for child predators claims lawsuit
Facebook and Instagram ‘enabled adults to find, message and groom minors’ for sexual exploitation, alleges state of New Mexico legal filing
September 2023
TikTok fined €345m for breaking EU data law on children’s accounts
Irish data regulator says platform put 13- to 17-year-old users’ accounts on default public setting, among other breaches
July 2023
Wimbledon courts the young with video games and fashion brand
Home of championship targets younger audience with volley of themed games, apps and clothing lines
September 2022
The Audio Long Read
Unboxing, bad baby and evil Santa: how YouTube got swamped with creepy content for kids – podcast
The long read
Unboxing, bad baby and evil Santa: how YouTube got swamped with creepy content for kids
February 2022
Fifth of young women and girls ‘cyber-flashed’ in past year, UK study reveals
Online sexual abuse of young women having ‘devastating impact’, says charity that commissioned research
January 2022
The trouble with Roblox, the video game empire built on child labour
Young developers on the platform used by many millions of children claim they have been financially exploited, threatened with dismissal and sexually harassed
September 2021
Beeban Kidron v Silicon Valley: one woman’s fight to protect children online
The film-maker and life peer has been warning of the digital dangers facing young people since 2012. Now, with her Children’s Code, people – and big tech companies - are starting to listen
July 2021
Today in Focus
Is it possible to make the internet safe for children?
A new design code for websites, aimed at children, will soon come into force. How much difference will it make – and is a child-safe internet possible?
June 2021
Ask Annalisa Barbieri
Have I gone too far in monitoring my children’s online activity?
At this stage, being a parent is more about negotiation and trust, says Annalisa Barbieri. Sit down as a family and talk about it – make rules together
April 2021
Advocates say kids’ Instagram product would ‘put young users at great risk’
Children’s health advocates urged Mark Zuckerberg to abandon the plan citing the negative effects of social media on children
October 2020
Alexa, Siri... Elsa? Children drive boom in smart speakers
Coronavirus has accelerated the use of voice assistants, but there are concerns about unregulated online ‘playgrounds’
September 2019
YouTube kids: how unboxing, gaming and toy reviews took over - video
Richard Sprenger meets some of the children plying their trade on YouTube, viral sensation Rebecca Black, and visits a Los Angeles summer camp where kids as young as six learn the tricks of the trade
December 2018
The video games that are good for your children
Quirky and egalitarian, Toca Boca’s games are a world away from the usual half-hearted or exploitative kids’ apps. We meet the Scandinavian company taking child’s play seriously
November 2018
Safe gaming: 21 family-friendly apps for children
Do your children’s apps give them the hard sell?
June 2018
How Peppa Pig became a video nightmare for children
James Bridle’s essay on disturbing YouTube content aimed at children went viral last year. Has the problem gone away – or is it getting worse?
April 2018
YouTube illegally collects data on children, say child protection groups
Complaint filed with US watchdog urges sanctions for Google allegedly failing to comply with child protection laws around data collection and ads
