UK government looking at social media ‘app caps’ for children
UK technology secretary Peter Kyle has indicated that the government is exploring measures such as ‘app caps’ or curfews to curb children’s excessive use of smartphones and social media, aiming to promote healthier online habits.
Options under consideration include restricting app use to two hours or banning access after 10pm or during school hours. While a full social media ban for under 16s has been ruled out, he emphasised the need to tackle addictive apps and foster balanced digital behaviour.
This comes amid rising concerns from educators, parents, and campaigners, alongside studies showing significant daily screen time among children. Further legislation on online safety is expected later this year.
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Pinterest outlines relevance improvements to its Pin recommendations
Pinterest has updated its ranking system with a new model called TransActV2, which looks at a larger history of user activity to better understand changing interests over time.
Instead of just the last 100 actions, it now analyses 16,000, helping to predict what users want to see next. This change has led to a big boost in engagement, including more re-pins, longer time spent on the app, and fewer users hiding Pins.
Overall, Pinterest is now much better at showing people content they care about, making it a more useful platform for both users and brands.
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Meta says that link posts on threads are seeing better performance
Threads may currently be driving more referral traffic after the app improved how it ranks and displays link posts, says Instagram chief Adam Mosseri.
Recent updates include better link visibility, added analytics for link performance, and more opportunities to feature links in profiles and recommendations.
While this suggests Threads is focusing more on supporting publishers and real time content sharing, Meta’s history of unpredictably adjusting link reach across its platforms means any traffic increase could be temporary.
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UK campaigners raise alarm over report of Meta plan to use automation for risk checks
UK internet safety campaigners have urged Ofcom to restrict Meta’s use of AI in conducting risk assessments required under the Online Safety Act, after reports that up to 90% of such evaluations could soon be automated.
The campaigners warned that AI-driven assessments could weaken protections for children and the public, calling the move “alarming” and urging Ofcom to reject them as insufficient.
Ofcom responded that it is reviewing the concerns and expects platforms to disclose who completes and approves assessments. Meta denied the claims, stating that AI is used only as a support tool, with human oversight, though reports suggest sensitive areas like youth safety may soon be handled primarily by AI.
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TikTok blocks searches for ‘skinnytok’ hashtag promoting extreme thinness
TikTok has blocked searches for the hashtag ‘skinnytok’ due to its association with content promoting extreme thinness and unhealthy weight loss behaviours.
Users searching the term are now being redirected to mental health resources. The move, started by eating disorder charity Beat, follows concerns that such content can encourage disordered eating, especially among young users. However, experts caution that harmful material still circulates under different tags.
TikTok says it regularly updates its safety measures and recently also removed ‘chubby filters’, which circulated in March, to address body image concerns.
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