How countries and platforms are making the internet safer for children

Ensuring the safety of children online is a growing priority worldwide, with governments and tech companies introducing new measures. Australia is considering banning social media for children under 16, while Norway plans to enforce a minimum social media age of 15.

On the corporate front, Roblox will restrict under-13s from in-game social spaces. Apple Australia’s new feature allows kids to flag inappropriate iMessages, forwarding these alerts to the police. Meta has also enhanced Instagram’s safety tools to block screenshots of disappearing images, aiming to protect young users from exploitation.

Artists including Julianne Moore and Thom Yorke have voiced concerns about AI's impact on creative industries. Over 36,000 individuals, including prominent figures like Björn Ulvaeus and Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro, have signed a statement criticizing AI companies for using unlicensed works to train generative AI. The signatories warn this practice threatens livelihoods and calls for ethical use of creative content.

Google DeepMind has made its Nobel Prize-winning AI tool, AlphaFold3, open-source. This tool predicts protein structures, enabling scientists to forecast molecule interactions. Previously available on a limited basis, its open access now allows broader use in pharmaceutical research, paving the way for innovations in drug development.

The future of technology is rapidly evolving, with digital platforms expected to generate 70% of new value over the next decade. Are industries ready for the disruption?