The UK House of Lords has voted in favour of an amendment that would introduce restrictions on social media use by under-16s, marking a significant step in an ongoing debate over children’s online safety. The proposal now faces further scrutiny in the House of Commons, where the government has signalled it will seek to overturn it.
UNESCO has issued a statement expressing concern about the increasing use of internet shutdowns by governments during periods of political tension, protests, and elections. The organisation points to recent data showing a sharp rise in such measures and highlights their implications for freedom of expression, access to information, and democratic participation.
The document confirms the shared commitment to fostering an approach to artificial intelligence based on children's rights and calls for coordinated action to ensure that AI is designed, developed and governed in a way that respects, protects and fulfils the rights of the child.
The European Commission has put forward the Digital Networks Act, a legislative proposal intended to update and harmonise EU rules governing electronic communications networks. The initiative seeks to simplify regulation, encourage cross-border activity, and set a framework for the gradual transition from legacy copper networks to high-capacity digital infrastructure.
New academic research suggests that ChatGPT systematically favours wealthier regions when describing people and places, reflecting structural biases in the data used to train large language models.
The Global Network Initiative has issued a statement assessing Bangladesh’s recent digital policy reforms, focusing on how the interim government developed and adopted a series of new ordinances. The document frames these observations as contributions to an ongoing policy discussion rather than as conclusions on legal outcomes.
A draft report circulating in the European Parliament signals growing political support for requiring technology companies to pay publishers when journalistic content is used to train automated systems.
Pressure is building on Keir Starmer after more than 60 Members of Parliament from the Labour Party publicly called for a ban on social media use for children under the age of 16. The MPs argue that existing voluntary measures by platforms are insufficient to protect young people online and that firmer regulation is now required.
At its 15 January 2026 meeting, the GNSO Council adopted a new Policy Development Process on DNS abuse mitigation, clarified dispute rules for intergovernmental organisations, and discussed reforms to ICANN’s policy and review processes. The session highlighted both substantive policy progress and ongoing debates about governance and accountability.
The Open Rights Group has issued a statement in response to a UK government consultation on restricting social media access for under-16s, raising concerns about the practical consequences of age-based bans and their implications for privacy, data protection, and young people’s ability to participate online.
Civil Society Alliances for Digital Empowerment (CADE) is a project co-funded by the European Union.
