Policy & Global Updates
Our editorial lens on the policies, regulatory decisions and evidence shaping children’s digital lives—and why they matter for an Internet designed around childhood.
Mexico published a federal decree on safe digital environments for children and adolescents on 14 October. It applies to digital platforms that enable people to interact, communicate, generate or share content, and requires measures intended to prevent children’s access, exposure or recommendation to specified harmful material.
Read the full analysis →Latest perspectives
Regulatory enforcement, generative AI & age assurance
Ofcom reports that its investigation identified circumstances in which age-gated pornographic material on X remained accessible to accounts that had not completed age assurance. X introduced changes so content labelled as pornography is restricted consistently for accounts without completed assurance. SpaceXAI also added UK restrictions affecting pornographic image generation, viewing, sharing and sexually explicit companion-chatbot conversations.
Read our analysis →Proposed legislation, social media & online gaming
The Philippine House of Representatives approved House Bill 11566, the proposed Children’s Digital Safety, Protection and Well-Being Act, on third reading on 12 October. It seeks safety standards and regulatory requirements for children’s use of social-media and online-gaming platforms. It remains proposed legislation and is not yet law.
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Showing 1–9 of 29 published updates
Mexico published a federal decree on safe digital environments for children and adolescents on 14 October. It applies to digital platforms that enable people to interact, communicate, generate or share content, and requires measures intended to prevent children’s access, exposure or recommendation to specified harmful material.
Read analysis →Ofcom reports that its investigation identified circumstances in which age-gated pornographic material on X remained accessible to accounts that had not completed age assurance. X introduced changes so content labelled as pornography is restricted consistently for accounts without completed assurance. SpaceXAI also added UK restrictions affecting pornographic image generation, viewing, sharing and sexually explicit companion-chatbot conversations.
Read analysis →The Philippine House of Representatives approved House Bill 11566, the proposed Children’s Digital Safety, Protection and Well-Being Act, on third reading on 12 October. It seeks safety standards and regulatory requirements for children’s use of social-media and online-gaming platforms. It remains proposed legislation and is not yet law.
Read analysis →Ofcom’s Growing Up Gaming report shows that gaming is a normal and often positive part of childhood, but it also combines play with communication, spending and contact with people children have never met in person. More than half of children who game online said they sometimes play with people they have met only online, while contact with strangers was parents’ leading concern.
Read analysis →Virginia’s updated school internet-use requirements direct public school divisions to integrate instruction on online scams, misinformation and AI-generated content into their internet-safety programmes. School boards must review their acceptable-use policies every two years, publish them and certify compliance annually.
Read analysis →UNICEF Philippines has warned that social-media restrictions alone are unlikely to keep children safe. Poorly designed bans may restrict access to learning and support or push children toward less regulated spaces. UNICEF calls instead for a comprehensive approach combining safer design, proportionate age assurance, platform accountability, digital literacy, accessible reporting and stronger child protection systems.
Read analysis →Ofcom has opened an investigation into whether Meta carried out suitable further illegal-content and children’s risk assessments before launching Instagram Instants. The feature allows photos and videos to be broadcast automatically through Instagram Direct and the content is ephemeral. The investigation is open; Ofcom has not concluded that Meta breached the Online Safety Act.
Read analysis →UNICEF has called for children to be placed at the centre of independent AI evaluation. It argues that assessment should account for age, language, culture, circumstances, repeated use and long-term effects, and should test whether AI supports dignity, learning, development and wellbeing rather than checking only for obvious harmful responses.
Read analysis →Zambia’s Child Justice Week called for a coordinated national response to digital abuse as the country implements its National Child Online Protection Strategy 2025 to 2029. The agenda connects confidential reporting, referrals, justice, provider accountability, digital literacy, evidence and meaningful participation by children.
Read analysis →Our editorial approach
We recognise what a policy could improve, then ask whether it changes the underlying digital environment or primarily restricts children’s access to one part of it.
Our analysis distinguishes proposals from enacted measures and preliminary findings from final decisions. Selection does not imply endorsement, and conclusions should evolve as implementation evidence emerges.