https://techxplore.com/rss-feed/internet-news/ en-us The latest news on the internet, world wide web, web 2.0 and science technology. The British government announced plans Wednesday to introduce a six-hour social media curfew from midnight for 16- and 17-year-olds—though they will be able to override the proposed default setting. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-uk-unveils-social-media-curfew.html Internet Wed, 15 Jul 2026 11:20:05 EDT news703331357 Chinese users of AI-powered companion bots have bade heart-rending farewells to their virtual buddies as national regulations took effect Wednesday, aimed at curbing the risk of emotional dependency. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-lover-chinese-users-farewell-ai.html Internet Wed, 15 Jul 2026 04:22:40 EDT news703308102 There should be a "youth mode" for children on social media platforms in which addictive features and targeted advertising are turned off, EU lawmakers demanded Tuesday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-addictive-features-social-media-children.html Internet Tue, 14 Jul 2026 15:00:01 EDT news703255709 Children should have "phased and gradual access" to social media, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, as experts recommended that children under 13 use online platforms only under supervision. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-eu-limit-children-access-social.html Internet Mon, 13 Jul 2026 12:00:08 EDT news703161999 To ban or not to ban children from all social media? That is the big question facing the European Union in its bid to protect minors from harmful content. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-mulling-eu-expert-verdict-social.html Internet Mon, 13 Jul 2026 04:20:05 EDT news703134507 The European Union's plan to regulate children's access to social media follows the implementation or proposal of similar measures around the world. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-countries-social-media-children.html Internet Sun, 12 Jul 2026 04:10:05 EDT news703046781 Meta has pulled the plug on a feature of a recently launched AI tool following criticism that it made Instagram accounts fodder for use in creating AI-generated images. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-criticism-meta-reins-ai-tool.html Internet Sun, 12 Jul 2026 03:43:31 EDT news703046598 Several major music industry organizations on Friday unveiled a labeling system for content created with generative artificial intelligence that they would like to see widely adopted. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-music-industry-ai-generated-content.html Internet Sat, 11 Jul 2026 03:50:01 EDT news702958913 The New York Times, the Daily News and other media outlets are asking a federal judge to impose sanctions on OpenAI, escalating a fight over artificial intelligence and copyright that could shape the future of a struggling news industry. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-news-outlets-urge-sanction-openai.html Internet Thu, 09 Jul 2026 13:44:58 EDT news702823440 Restrictions on children's use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors' access to online platforms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-eu-closer-kids-social-media.html Internet Thu, 09 Jul 2026 05:20:04 EDT news702790963 The amount of time young people spend playing video games is not enough to judge whether gaming is linked to cognitive difficulties. A new study of several thousand adolescents shows that gaming time and symptoms of Internet Gaming Disorder are associated with cognitive performance in opposite ways. While dysregulated gaming—marked by loss of control, craving or continued play despite problems—was consistently linked to lower performance across cognitive tests, gaming time itself showed small positive associations with selected skills. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-links-cognitive-difficulties-compulsive-gaming.html Internet Tue, 07 Jul 2026 14:00:03 EDT news702647074 Many digital users rely on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to combat security threats, allowing the application to view, intercept and handle all user traffic in return for hiding identifying information from third parties. Yet a new mobile VPN security testing framework—MVPNalyzer—found many popular VPNs breach user trust, according to a University of Michigan Engineering study. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-mobile-vpn-strong-advertised.html Internet Tue, 07 Jul 2026 13:07:10 EDT news702648411 In the last year or so, artificial intelligence companies have rolled out a spate of web browsers equipped with AI agents. A user might ask one of these agents to plan a vacation, and it will open browser tabs to research routes and restaurants, then make reservations and add events to the user's calendar. How well it does any of this varies. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-agentic-ai-browsers-major-cybersecurity.html Internet Fri, 03 Jul 2026 10:00:01 EDT news702053575 Music from Kylie Minogue, John Farnham, INXS, Midnight Oil, AC/DC, Tones and I, Gotye, Ben Frost, Nick Cave, Tame Impala, Parkway Drive, The Living End and Vance Joy has been found in a database of 12 million songs used to teach artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-07-australian-musicians-ai-songs-legal.html Internet Wed, 01 Jul 2026 11:40:05 EDT news702124021 Social media companies claim their platforms are safe for kids, promoting safety features that include restricting searches for harmful content, limiting messaging and warning of out-of-network contacts. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-social-media-child-safety-features.html Internet Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:20:06 EDT news702021781 WhatsApp users will soon get the option of going by usernames instead of phone numbers, the company said Monday, announcing plans to address a privacy blind spot. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-whatsapp-users-usernames-privacy.html Internet Mon, 29 Jun 2026 15:00:01 EDT news701963233 The Australian government has announced it is "doubling down" on social media platforms that aren't complying with age restrictions for under-16s. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-social-media-bigger-penalties-platforms.html Internet Mon, 29 Jun 2026 12:00:09 EDT news701952121 A study led by researchers from IMDEA Networks and Carlos III University of Madrid (UC3M) has carried out the first large-scale analysis of the volatility, content and actual infrastructure of hidden websites on the so-called dark web. This work was among the recipients of the 2025–2026 Spanish Police Foundation Research Awards, which recognize scientific research that contributes to ensuring public safety and protecting citizens' rights and freedoms. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-dark-web-survey-reveals-tor.html Internet Mon, 29 Jun 2026 10:20:06 EDT news701946073 Despite European legislation, many commercial websites still fall short when it comes to meeting the WCAG accessibility standard, Dante Göbbels has found. Göbbels investigated the barriers website visitors encounter, including inaccessible forms and poor contrast, missing alt text for images (important for blind and visually impaired users), and keyboard-unfriendly navigation. His main recommendations are greater awareness, more training, and more enforcement. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-digital-barriers-visitors-dutch-websites.html Internet Sat, 27 Jun 2026 08:00:08 EDT news701523215 Whether you love or loathe generative AI chatbots, they're becoming increasingly involved in the business of romance. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-chatbots-people-communicate-dating.html Internet Sat, 27 Jun 2026 07:01:49 EDT news701762490 Six months on from Australia's under-16s social media ban taking effect, the early verdict from headlines and children themselves has been blunt: It isn't working. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-kids-social-media-success.html Internet Thu, 25 Jun 2026 12:00:08 EDT news701606641 There is little evidence that Australia's Social Media Minimum Age Act has led to any immediate reductions in social media use by under-16s, according to an early analysis of survey data published by The BMJ. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-evidence-australia-social-media-restrictions.html Internet Wed, 24 Jun 2026 18:30:06 EDT news701514481 The Dutch government is considering making it illegal to use children younger than 16 in paid social media content. The government argues such online content featuring children—designed to sell goods to child consumers—basically involves them in child labor. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-kidfluencers-social-media-australia-netherlands.html Internet Tue, 23 Jun 2026 20:40:05 EDT news701440228 Marie Lansley recently started a new job in a new city while searching for a new partner. In her dating pursuits, the freshly minted San Franciscan said she's been "trying everything"— including some help from artificial intelligence. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-ai-chatbots-dating-scene-lovelorn.html Internet Tue, 23 Jun 2026 14:20:01 EDT news701440672 Wikipedia does not trust artificial intelligence enough to let it play a direct role in editing articles on its platform, co-founder Jimmy Wales told AFP on Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-wikipedia-wont-ai-articles-cofounder.html Internet Mon, 22 Jun 2026 12:54:46 EDT news701351670 The Australian eSafety Commissioner recently launched a new campaign to raise awareness of sexual extortion, or "sextortion." Targeted primarily at men, the campaign features AI-generated videos of attractive women attempting to lure men into financial scams. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-people-victims-sextortion-ai-worse.html Internet Sun, 21 Jun 2026 20:30:07 EDT news701010741 In April, Galileo marked a step forward with the deployment of a new signal component, known as E5a Quasi Pilot, on 12 satellites of Europe's satellite navigation constellation. This upgrade makes Galileo signals easier to access, particularly on emerging mass-market, low-power devices used for Internet of Things and smart-city applications. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-galileo-internet.html Internet Fri, 19 Jun 2026 08:20:04 EDT news701075029 As Europe pushes for more tech sovereignty, social network W believes it has the X-factor to win users away from other platforms: It's European. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-european-social-network-musk.html Internet Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:20:29 EDT news700924806 The UK government's decision to introduce restrictions on children's access to social media marks a significant moment in the evolution of online safety policy. For supporters, it represents a long-overdue response to growing concerns about children's well-being. For critics, it raises questions about effectiveness, enforcement and unintended consequences. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-uk-social-media-tech-restrictions.html Internet Tue, 16 Jun 2026 12:40:03 EDT news700831381 Britain says it will ban people under 16 from using a range of social media apps, including Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube, a decision intended to protect young people from harmful content and excessive screen time. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-06-uk-children-social-media-countries.html Internet Tue, 16 Jun 2026 04:00:02 EDT news700800652