Tech Bosses Grilled on Kids' Online Safety

0:00On April 16, Top Tech bosses for Metta, Snap, YouTube, Tiktok, and X-Head to Downing Street today to face off with Prime Minister Kierstarmer and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall. They're diving deep into protecting kids online, tackling parental worries head on. This meeting hits right in the middle of a government consultation on banding social media for anyone under 16, mirroring moves in Australia. Some companies have already rolled out safeguards, like turning off auto play for kids by default and handing parents more control over screen time. But just this week, UK MP shot down a push for an under 16 van for the second time, opting instead to let ministers craft their own rules. Parents and experts are fired up, calling out platforms for prioritizing profits over safety. Opposition figures blast labor for lagging behind other nations, while charities tie to tragic cases like Molly Russell's push for real change. Not empty talk.

1:00Recent studies show Australia's under 16 van from last December hasn't stopped over 60% of young Aussies from jumping on social media. Anyway, here the consultation also eyes limits on gaming sites and AI chatbots, with over 45,000 responses already in and more from schools and groups. As the public input wraps on the 26th of May, Starmer stresses the stakes are too high to ignore, time for tech giants to step up or face. tougher laws that finally put kids first.