Several significant developments emerged in the news this week, spanning social media regulation, tax deadlines, and entertainment viewership.
In Spain, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced plans to ban social media for children under the age of 16, pending parliamentary approval. The move aims to protect children from what Sánchez described as the "digital Wild West," according to BBC World. This initiative is part of a broader effort to hold company executives responsible for "illegal or harmful content" on their platforms. Australia implemented a similar ban last year, and France, Denmark, and Austria have also announced similar measures, BBC World reported.
Meanwhile, in the UK, an estimated one million people missed the deadline to file their tax returns with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), potentially facing penalties, according to BBC Business. HMRC reported that 27,456 people filed in the final hour before the midnight cut-off for 2024-25 returns on Saturday. Despite extended helpline and webchat services, 475,722 people filed on the final day, bringing the total submissions to approximately 11.5 million. While the number of late filers is significant, it remains below the 11.48 million who filed on time, BBC Business noted.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) removed thousands of documents related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation from its website after victims' lawyers said flawed redactions compromised their identities, BBC World reported. Lawyers for Epstein's victims stated that the release had "turned upside down" the lives of nearly 100 survivors, with email addresses and nude photos potentially revealing the identities of victims. Survivors issued a statement calling the disclosure "outrageous" and said they should not be "named, or shown in nude photos."
A growing backlash is brewing against AI-generated content, or "slop," transforming social media, according to BBC Technology. Théodore, a social media user, described an AI-generated image of two emaciated South Asian children with beards, one missing limbs, holding a birthday sign in the rain, as the image that "tipped him over the edge." Despite the obvious signs of AI generation, the image went viral on Facebook, garnering nearly one million likes and heart emojis. "It boggled my mind. The absurd AI manipulation," Théodore said.
In entertainment news, viewership for the 68th Grammy Awards on CBS experienced a decline, particularly among young adults, according to Fox News. The broadcast averaged 14 million total viewers, an 11% drop compared to the previous year and a 20% decrease compared to 2024. The politically charged event featured celebrities such as Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, who used the ceremony to criticize the Trump administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
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