- Wed, May 27, 2026 Pennsylvania prosecutes an AI chatbot for impersonating a doctor while COPPA 2.0 waits in the House Pennsylvania sued Character.AI on May 5 after a chatbot named "Emilie" claimed to be a licensed psychiatrist, offered diagnostic assessments, and fabricated a state medical license number. The EU Commission issued a formal preliminary finding that TikTok and Instagram breach the Digital Services Act for addictive design. Roblox closed the month with $23.2 million in combined state settlements and a new child labor suit, while Idaho, Oregon, and Washington became the first states to ban AI chatbots from claiming to be human to minors.
- Tue, May 26, 2026 UK consultation closes with 70,000 submissions as EU cites TikTok and Roblox faces $35M in state settlements The UK's "Growing Up In The Online World" consultation closed May 26 with more than 70,000 submissions. Prime Minister Starmer pledged "game changer" action and Technology Secretary Kendall confirmed decisions will come before year end, with an Australia-style under-16 ban among the options. The EU Commission issued a formal preliminary finding that TikTok breaches the Digital Services Act for addictive design, the first step toward binding compliance orders. Indiana's attorney general sued both Roblox and Discord, Nevada sued Discord separately, and Roblox closed out the month with $23.2 million in combined settlements with Alabama and West Virginia.
- Mon, May 25, 2026 EU proposes under-15 ban, TikTok and YouTube reject Ofcom, and the global ban wave spreads EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on May 25 that the EU may restrict children under 15 from social media this summer across all 27 member states. TikTok and YouTube confirmed they will not change their recommendation feeds for children despite Ofcom's finding that 73% of UK teens encountered harmful content in a single four-week period, moving both platforms into mandatory enforcement. Indonesia, Malaysia, India, and New Zealand all announced plans to follow Australia's under-16 ban, and the US House subcommittee advanced 18 children's online safety bills including COPPA 2.0 and KOSA.
- Sun, May 24, 2026 UK police declare the internet unsafe for children as Discord suits mount and Ofcom moves to force YouTube's hand The UK's National Police Chiefs' Council and National Crime Agency said on May 24 that the online environment "is not safe for children" and called for bans on platforms that won't remove dangerous features for under-16s, two days before a government consultation deadline. Texas became the fourth state to sue Discord for child endangerment in weeks. Ofcom vowed to force changes on YouTube and TikTok after both refused to alter their recommendation systems, while Snap agreed to all grooming-prevention measures. The EU confirmed a Digital Fairness Act targeting endless scrolling and autoplay, and five states now have binding AI chatbot safety laws for children with nearly 300 more bills pending nationwide.
- Sat, May 23, 2026 Roblox goes age-gated, Google brings AI to under-13s, and Instagram defines its own PG-13 Roblox announced it will launch age-based Kids (5-8) and Select (9-15) accounts in June with communication disabled by default for the youngest users. Google began rolling out Gemini AI to children under 13 through Family Link in the US and Canada this week, with no independent safety review completed. Instagram confirmed its PG-13 content standard now applies to followed accounts and shared links, not just recommendations, and the criteria were set entirely by Meta. New Mexico requested $3.7 billion more from Meta after a March jury verdict, and federal children's safety legislation remained stalled over a preemption dispute.
- Fri, May 22, 2026 Ofcom confronts TikTok and YouTube while Pennsylvania prosecutes an AI chatbot playing doctor UK regulator Ofcom published findings that 73% of children aged 11 to 17 encountered harmful content online in a four-week period and warned TikTok and YouTube of formal enforcement action after both platforms refused to change their recommendation feeds. Pennsylvania sued Character.AI after a chatbot posed as a licensed psychiatrist and provided a fake medical license number to a state investigator. Snap, Meta, and Roblox each agreed to new default-on child protections under Ofcom pressure. The EU confirmed a fall 2026 enforcement timeline against TikTok and Instagram for addictive design.
- Thu, May 21, 2026 Meta settles school lawsuit, UK regulator puts YouTube and TikTok on notice for child safety failures Meta settled a landmark school district lawsuit today, averting a June trial that was a bellwether for 1,200 similar cases nationwide. UK regulator Ofcom found that 73% of children aged 11 to 17 encountered harmful content online in a four-week period and put TikTok and YouTube on notice for failing to change their recommendation feeds, while Snap, Meta, and Roblox committed to stronger default protections. The US House subcommittee also advanced 18 children's online safety bills including COPPA 2.0.
- Wed, May 20, 2026 Federal and state lawmakers move to ban AI companion chatbots for children The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the GUARD Act unanimously, a bill that would ban AI companion chatbots for users under 18. Illinois is racing toward a May 22 Senate vote on its social media algorithm restrictions bill. California's SB 243, the first U.S. law setting AI chatbot safety rules for minors, has been in effect since January 1, 2026, requiring mental health monitoring, content filtering, and AI disclosures.
- Tue, May 19, 2026 Minnesota bans addictive design for minors as EU acts on TikTok and Instagram the same week Minnesota's House passed HF4138 on May 19, banning infinite scrolling and push notifications for users under 16. The EU announced formal enforcement action against TikTok and Instagram for the same design patterns. The Senate Judiciary Committee summoned Meta, Alphabet, TikTok, and Snap CEOs to testify in June. New Mexico's Meta trial entered Phase 2 on public nuisance liability and additional penalties.
- Mon, May 18, 2026 After the lawsuits: parent dashboards, outside scoring, and the first AI chatbot laws Meta expands teen supervision tools across Instagram, Facebook, and Messenger. Australian under-16 ban data shows enforcement gaps. Idaho, Oregon, and Washington pass AI companion chatbot laws. Meta, TikTok, and Snap agree to independent teen safety ratings. Internet Matters releases UK Online Safety Act report.
- Sun, May 17, 2026 States are doing what Congress hasn't: Roblox settlements, Discord suits, EU addictive-design crackdown Alabama and West Virginia settle with Roblox for $23.2M combined. New child-labor suit hits Roblox. Nevada joins Indiana in suing Discord. EU moves on TikTok and Instagram design. Cruz commits to advance KOSA.