The police have joined the conversation and are advocating for social media restrictions for users younger than 16.

      UK law enforcement is no longer willing to wait for tech companies to take action. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) have come together to urge that children under 16 be barred from any social media, gaming applications, or AI that does not disable what they consider “high-risk” features.

      This initiative coincides with the UK government's ongoing examination of the potential for a complete social media prohibition for users under 16, according to the BBC.

      UK police are advocating for the removal of six specific features from children's applications

      The police are asking that platforms eliminate six functionalities they claim contribute to significant online harm for children. These include the ability for strangers to directly contact minors, private or encrypted messaging, algorithms promoting harmful content, sharing of nude images, lax age verification, and any element that makes children easily findable by other users.

      Many of these concerns are already addressed under the UK’s Online Safety Act, which authorizes Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, to investigate and penalize platforms that violate the regulations. However, law enforcement is seeking more stringent measures, calling for legislation that would prevent anyone under 16 from accessing platforms offering these features altogether, as well as device-level controls on nudity for all users under 18.

      The online dangers facing children are escalating

      The statistics are genuinely concerning. The NCA reported 92,000 incidents of potential child sexual abuse online in 2025, with NCA director general Graeme Biggar indicating that victims are becoming younger and that children are increasingly involved as offenders as well.

      NPCC chair Gavin Stephens emphasized the lack of regulation, describing the internet as a “wild west.” In response, the government has supported Ofcom in taking action against non-compliant platforms and is considering measures ranging from age restrictions and app time limits to outright bans.

      While these suggestions do not extend as far as Australia’s complete ban on social media for those under 16, the UK police's message is clear: the time has come for tech companies to prioritize child safety and take decisive action.

      ---

      Social media undermines your happiness with every scroll

      The more time you spend scrolling, the more your happiness diminishes.

      Doom-scrolling is particularly detrimental. It often starts with "just five more minutes," only to stretch into hours, leaving you feeling worse about your life than before. I had to remove Instagram from my iPhone to prevent myself from spending endless hours every night on it.

      If you've also experienced that sense of despair following a scrolling session, there's scientific support for this feeling. The World Happiness Report, released by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford, indicates a strong correlation between excessive social media use and a decline in well-being. This trend is particularly pronounced among younger individuals, especially girls, in the Western world.

      ---

      Meta has developed a rival to Reddit through Facebook Groups

      The new app transforms group postings into a distinct platform focused on questions, AI-generated answers, and specialized communities.

      Meta has discreetly introduced Forum, an app for Facebook Groups that organizes community responses into a streamlined, separate interface. This app creates a new space for discussions, recommendations, and replies that would typically be found on Facebook. For users who have sifted through years of group posts in search of valuable information, Forum appears to be Meta’s effort to facilitate easier access to that knowledge without directing users back to the primary feed.

      ---

      AI accelerates “wizards” on 4Chan who execute requests to create nonconsensual images of women

      Recent analysis from ISD, along with reporting from WIRED, highlights how 4chan users solicit, generate, endorse, and disseminate nonconsensual AI-generated nude images of women.

      4chan has emerged as a hub for AI image exploitation, with anonymous users requesting editors to transform ordinary images of women into synthetic sexual visuals without consent. The Institute for Strategic Dialogue examined 7,616 posts in English from December 2025 to March 2026 and discovered that 2,927 involved language related to nudification or image manipulation. WIRED adds context, illustrating a culture of requests and rewards where individuals who produce these fake images are regarded as skilled operators.