A report released by the UK’s Internet Watch Foundation has found that confirmed and removed AI-generated child sexual abuse material increased more than four-fold year-on-year over the past 12 months. The report notes that the spread of generative AI tools has dramatically lowered the barrier to producing such material, and calls on national legislatures to bring AI-generated CSAM under dedicated legal frameworks.
The Governor of California recently signed a new wave of legislation restricting minors’ use of social media, requiring major social platforms to implement stricter age verification for underage users, limit addictive feature design, and impose systematic constraints on the impact of recommendation algorithms on adolescent mental health. The legislation is widely seen as a landmark move by a US state to strengthen regulation of the tech industry amid a standstill at the federal level.
Core Summary A collective lawsuit filed by multiple US states against Meta officially went to trial on August 19. The plaintiffs allege that Meta’s Facebook and Instagram platforms deliberately addicted underage users through algorithmic recommendations and product design, causing serious harm to their mental health. Meta argued in court that the concept of “social media addiction” itself is invalid, attempting to negate the core allegation at its root. This case is considered a landmark lawsuit in US tech regulation, and its verdict could profoundly impact the operational models of the entire social media industry. ...
The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill passes the Commons by 272 to 64 votes. The government commits to imposing age or functionality restrictions for under-16s, with specific measures to be determined after a consultation ending May 26.