Technology

France became the first EU country to pass a blanket social media ban for children under 15, with both chambers of Parliament approving the measure Tuesday. The law also bans phones in secondary schools and could take effect in September 2026.

Microsoft's Xbox gaming division plans to cut 3,200 jobs in a sweeping restructure that has shocked employees. The move marks one of the largest rounds of layoffs in the video game industry's history.

Meta pulled a new AI-powered feature that let users alter Instagram content just days after its release, following swift and intense backlash from the platform's community over concerns about manipulation and consent.

UK media regulator Ofcom has put forward proposals requiring big technology companies to tackle fraudulent online adverts, as new data shows more than half of UK adults have encountered potentially scam ads.

Anthropic says the US government has lifted its export ban on its advanced AI tools Fable and Mythos, which were abruptly suspended in June over hacker misuse concerns.

Rockstar Games' GTA 6 will launch without a physical disc, priced at £70. Physical copies will contain only a digital download code — a first for a major console release — sparking debate about whether gaming is following music and film into a fully digital future.

Anthropic, the AI company behind Claude, has accused China's Alibaba of using fraudulent accounts to illicitly extract capabilities from its AI model. The accusation marks a significant escalation in tensions between US and Chinese AI companies over intellectual property.