Alarming rise of social media use among toddlers December 2, 2025 Almost 800,000 children under the age of five are now likely to be using social media platforms in the UK, intensifying concerns around the country’s ability to protect the younger generation online. The figures, based of Ofcom’s recent research, reveal an alarming rise in very young children using platforms intended for teenagers or adults. It [...]
Facebook cuts 660 UK jobs as revenue nears record November 3, 2025 Facebook cut more than 600 UK jobs as its revenue passed the £3bn mark in 2024, it has been revealed. The London-headquartered arm of the US giant reduced its headcount from 6,338 to 5,679 during its latest financial year. The fall comes after Facebook’s UK headcount had stood at 7,053 at the end of 2022. [...]
Liz Kendall wraps cyberflashing into Online Safety Act September 29, 2025 Social media giants will be forced to crack down on cyberflashing under new duties to be announced by technology secretary Liz Kendall at the Labour Party conference. The move will see unsolicited nude images and videos classified as a “priority offence” under the Online Safety Act, placing strict new obligations on platforms to detect and [...]
Meta to launch paid ad-free option on Facebook and Instagram in UK September 26, 2025 Meta is preparing to roll out a new subscription service in the UK that will allow users to pay to remove ads from Facebook and Instagram, raising questions about the future of ‘free’ social media. Over the coming weeks, UK users will see notifications explaining the change. Those who want to avoid ads can subscribe [...]
Should we be worried about Instagram’s map feature? August 20, 2025 Instagram’s new location-sharing feature, dubbed ‘Instagram Map’, has been rolled out to 170m users, but a journey through the platform reveals a perplexing reality: it’s a digital ghost town. While Instagram’s parent, Meta, has billed the feature as a “new, light way to connect”, many users are finding themselves alone on the map, prompting a [...]
Brits call for VPN ban for minors to curb Online Safety Act loopholes August 20, 2025 A majority of Britons believe children under 18 should be banned from using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) following a recent surge, a survey has found. Research from YouGov found that 55 per cent of the public supports a ban for minors, while only 20 per cent think they should be allowed to use them. This [...]
MPs demand answers from Meta on finfluencers complaints June 6, 2025 An influential group of MPs has demanded that Meta outline its track record responding to requests to remove damaging content from finfluencers, after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) named the Facebook and Instagram owner as the sector’s worst offender. Chair of the Treasury Committee Meg Hillier issued a letter to the social media giant earlier [...]
Gen Z investors reliant on LinkedIn and TikTok finfluencers for advice May 28, 2025 Gen Z has led the charge in a growing trend of using social media for investment advice, according to new data from Charles Schwab. Over 70 per cent of Gen Z use social media and financial influencers – dubbed finfluencers – when making investment decisions, the data suggests. LinkedIn was valued as the top social [...]
Meta surges on bold AI spend – but tariff risks loom May 1, 2025 Meta platforms delivered strong first quarter earnings after market close on Wednesday, with revenue and profit surpassing Wall Street expectations thanks to continued growth in advertising and an aggressive push into AI. But the firm’s exposure to global trade tensions and regulatory headwinds in its European market present a complicated picture for investors evaluating the [...]
Meta launches ChatGPT rival app ahead of key earnings April 29, 2025 Meta platforms debuted its standalone AI app on Tuesday, marking its most direct move yet against OpenAI’s ChatGPT – and doing so just 24 hours ahead of its first earnings report of the year. The app, built on Meta’s llama models, features on AI assistant, image generation, and a ‘discover’ feed to showcase user prompts, [...]
