The school knows that they have this deepfake issue, and they all of a sudden add this clause to their enrollment contracts. That to me seems a little disingenuous and unfair, and it doesn't seem like someone's apologizing.
HF1434, Minnesota's proposed age-verification bill, simply won't protect children. It mandates that websites hosting speech that is protected by the First Amendment for both adults and young people verify users' identities, often through government IDs or biometric data. The bill's definition of speech that lawmakers deem harmful to minors is notoriously broad—broad enough to sweep in lawful, non-pornographic speech about sexual orientation, sexual health, and gender identity.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said it took action after investigations found the sites were breaching the Interactive Gambling Act 2001. The latest group includes C***spin, Frumzi, Great Win, MyStake, Oh My Spins, RetroBet, The Dog House 2 Slot, and Viperwin. Officials say the sites were identified through a mix of public complaints and the regulator's own monitoring.
Our data is still minimal, says Caroline Thain, national clinical adviser with the mental health organisation Headspace. We're really waiting for a few more months before we do a deeper dive. About one in 10 teenagers coming into Headspace centres have brought up the social media ban as their reason for seeking support.
Ontario and Nova Scotia have agreed to let their residents buy alcohol directly from the other's province, part of the premiers' ongoing work to bolster interprovincial trade. Producers of beer, wine and spirits can start applying Tuesday to the province's liquor corporation for authorizations to do the direct-to-consumer sales, a process the premiers say will only take a matter of days.
We know mornings can be hectic But your child shouldn't be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID. Quick Parent Checklist: Homework, Lunch packed, Alcoholic beverages. If it says 12% ABV it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.
Age verification technologies are some of the most child-protective technologies to emerge in decades. Our statement incentivizes operators to use these innovative tools, empowering parents to protect their children online.
The problem here is 100% the ability to resell the items from the loot boxes. A loot box/gacha mechanic is fine when you can't turn around and resell the items because you're not getting something of value. When Valve is also providing a marketplace for those items, they've added the third element.
A far-left Brooklyn pol is hoping the third time's a charm with socialist Zohran Mamdani now NYC mayor as she pushes legislation that could give "young people" carte blanche to commit crimes without fear of being arrested. The legislation, reintroduced for a third time on Jan. 29 by Democratic Councilwoman Crystal Hudson, would require that "young people" be "diverted" to "community-based organizations to receive services in lieu of criminal enforcement."
Generally, the pour of liquor in your glass is up to the discretion and recipe of the mixologist. In Utah, however, bartenders are required to use a special calibrated device to ensure that a pour of liquor comes out at exactly 1.5 ounces. They are quite serious about this, mandating that all bottles use these devices, and that the devices themselves have a margin of error of less than one sixteenth of an ounce for a one-ounce pour - or about a third of a teaspoon.
Massachusetts gambling regulators are sending a marketing case involving BetMGM straight to a formal hearing after learning that tens of thousands of promotional emails went out to people whose ages could not be verified, including minors and individuals on exclusion lists.
The law was part of a state senate bill that called for the amendment of the California Retail Food Code. The bill was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2025 and it comes into effect this July. That means from this summer forward, Californians can expect to see milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, sesame, and soybeans listed as an ingredient on major restaurant menus.
Pressure is mounting on the UK government to introduce a ban on social media for under-16s, after a decisive vote in House of Lords in favour of Australian-style restrictions. Peers backed a Tory-led amendment to the children's wellbeing and schools bill by 261 votes to 150, despite the government opposing the move. Ministers are already considering a ban as part of a consultation due to report by the summer and so the Lords amendment is unlikely to pass in the Commons.
These days, the internet "looks a hell of a lot more like Las Vegas than 'Little House on the Prairie.'" That's how Andrew Ferguson, chair of the Federal Trade Commission, described the online experience of children in his opening remarks for an FTC workshop on age verification last week. The event took place on Wednesday, January 28, which also happened to be Data Privacy Day, an annual "holiday" of sorts to raise awareness about privacy issues and encourage better data protection practices.
Common Sense Media's new report, "Betting on Boys: Understanding Gambling Among Adolescent Boys," finds teen boys are largely exposed to gambling through sports betting and video games "in loot boxes, skin cases, and other reward systems that blur the line between playing and paying." More than a third of the boys surveyed, ages 11-17, admitted to gambling in the past year, with that number rising to nearly half of the 17-year-olds. Additionally, 60% reported seeing ads for gambling on YouTube and social media.
My local Target was the first place I noticed the shift. One day, a few years ago, a sign appeared: red text on white paper announcing that no one under 18 would be allowed in without an adult. Before the poster, every weekday afternoon, clots of teens would move through the arteries of the store, occasionally blocking them. The kids would laugh among themselves, swatch makeup on their arms, peruse the candy offerings.
"Second-hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease and lung cancer and we want to protect children and the sick from harm," he said. "Prevention is better than cure, so this government is taking pressure off the NHS and building a healthier Britain where everyone lives well for longer."
The Gambling Authority of Ireland (GRAI) has found that problem gambling is much more likely amongst people who were exposed to gambling as children. The study, which was conducted by the ESRI's Behavioural Research Unit, found that rates of problem gambling are significantly higher among people who gambled as children, whose parents gambled, or whose parents had positive attitudes towards gambling.