For children’s accounts, the law bans certain features, including infinite scrolling, auto-play videos and targeted advertising. COLUMBIA, S.C. — A South Carolina law will place restrictions on social media features for users under 16, including limits on tools designed to keep people continuously engaged with a platform. The restrictions apply to social media companies that generate...Read More

Strasbourg, France – The European Union laid out plans Thursday for strict age limits for children to access social media, games and artificial intelligence assistants — and for forcing companies to make platforms safe before minors use them. The rules for platforms would include a ban on addictive features, what is known as endless scrolling, and...Read More

A California law that prohibits teens from receiving recommended social media content from other social media users violates their First Amendment rights, EFF argued this week. The case, Meta v. Bonta, challenges SB 976, which requires that teen social media users get their parents’ permission before seeing other users’ recommended speech on their social media...Read More

Louisiana launched PlaySafe, a free game that teaches kids ages 10-16 how to recognize online predators, grooming tactics and inappropriate behaviors Gov. Jeff Landry’s office of Human Trafficking Prevention announced Thursday the launch of a new interactive, educational game to help young people learn about the dangers and signs of potential online predators. The interactive...Read More

Introduction The EU KIDS Act is a proposed European Union regulation that would restrict children’s access to certain social media and video-sharing services and establish wider online safety requirements. Under the proposal, children under 13 could not hold their own accounts on services covered by the age restrictions. Providers could offer limited, guardian-managed accounts to...Read More

The EU Kids Act remains a proposal, but the European Commission’s direction is already visible. On September 16, 2026, Ursula von der Leyen announced a plan to restrict social-media access for children under 13, place 13- to 15-year-olds in supervised accounts and impose “safe by design” expectations on services used by minors. The practical centerpiece...Read More

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney waded into one of the European Union’s most consequential child-safety fights on September 16, 2026, warning that a draft EU proposal to ban social media accounts for children under 13 “would be terrible for the next generation of humanity.” The line, posted on his personal account and picked up within...Read More

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney used his personal X account to attack the European Union’s newest child-safety proposal on September 16, 2026, calling the plan a threat to an entire generation of young creators. The remark, posted a day before the policy drew wider gaming-press coverage, has turned a Brussels regulatory document into the top...Read More

The European Commission (EC) on Thursday laid out a detailed roadmap for a proposal to bar children younger than 13 from accessing social media and mandate that platforms improve their design to better protect minors. The announcement comes as countries worldwide — including Australia, Spain, France, China, Turkey and the UK — have either implemented...Read More

By Tina L. ScottEditor Students in Merrill went back to school this week, and most school districts in the state have already started or will soon begin classes. That means an increase in pedestrian traffic as children walk to and from school, especially near school zones, and it means school buses are back on the...Read More