The UK's internet regulator Ofcom has published new codes to protect children from harmful online content, but critics say it has been "overly cautious" and slow in its approach.
Platforms that host pornography or content that could encourage self-harm, suicidal thoughts or eating disorders are now required to have stronger age checks for users, such as facial age estimation or credit card checks. Platforms will also be required to filter out harmful content from their algorithms into children's feeds.
It is part of the Online Safety Act that was passed in 2023 and is being introduced in stages.
Technology Secretary Peter Kyle described the code as a "watershed moment" that is "turning the tide on toxic" online experiences.
“In recent years, too many young people have been exposed to lawless, poisonous environments online, which we know can lead to real and sometimes fatal consequences," Mr Kyle said. “The largest social media companies now having to prioritise children’s safety by law."
He did not rule out further restrictions. "We won’t hesitate to go further to protect our children. They are the foundation, not the limit, when it comes to children’s safety online.”
Mr Kyle added that he had been exploring the ideas of social media curfew for teenagers, similar to those introduced by TikTok, as well as the online equivalent of a TV watershed in which content deemed for adults appears from a specific time.
He told The Telegraph that he had been "watching very carefully" the impact of Tiktok's 10pm curfews for under 16s and the tools it provides for parents to switch off access at set times.
Mr Kyle said: “These are things I am looking at. I’m not going to act on something that will have a profound impact on every single child in the country without making sure that the evidence supports it, but I am investing in [researching] the evidence, I’m engaging with it, and I’m raring to go.”
Ofcom boss Dame Melanie Dawes said the code marked a "reset" for children online. "They will mean safer social media feeds with less harmful and dangerous content, protections from being contacted by strangers and effective age checks on adult content. If companies fail to act they will face enforcement.”
The draft codes were made available for public consultations in May. Social media companies were given three months in January to determine whether children were likely to access their service, a period that ended last week.
They will now be given another three months to conduct a risk assessment, which would determine what other measures they will need to take beyond age-checking, based on the level of risk.
As of July 25, Ofcom can impose fines up to £18 million or 10 per cent of global revenue and – in very serious cases – apply for a court order to prevent the site or app from being available in the UK.
Yet online safety campaigners have criticised Ofcom's "risk adverse" and "overly cautious" codes.
"I am dismayed by the lack of ambition in today's codes," said Ian Russell, whose daughter Molly Rose was a victim of harmful online content.
"Instead of moving fast to fix things, the painful reality is that Ofcom’s measures will fail to prevent more young deaths like my daughter Molly's," he said.
"Ofcom’s risk adverse approach is a bitter pill for bereaved parents to swallow. Their overly cautious codes put the bottom line of reckless tech companies ahead of tackling preventable harm."
He called on the Prime Minister Keir Starmer to personally intervene, "without delay to strengthen online safety legislation.”
Campaigners say the new codes will be ineffective in curbing algorithms that recommend harmful online content to children. They point to a “loophole” that allows the platforms to keep content online until they know it is harmful.
“Instead of requiring firms not to algorithmically recommend harmful content, the regulator has built in a loophole – platforms must only ensure they don’t recommend content if they already know it’s harmful,” said the Molly Rose Foundation, an online safety campaign group established by Ian Russell. “Tech platforms won’t have to stop showing deeply dangerous challenges, they’ll merely have to recommend them to users less often."
Campaigners also fear that Ofcom will not act fast enough to keep up with a US political climate that prioritises online freedom of speech over protection.
US Vice President JD Vance raised the UK’s “infringements on free speech” and its effect on US tech companies during a meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer last month. Meta replaced its fact-checking programme with community notes earlier this year, saying it would allow “more speech”.
Yet the MRF said it had “no assurances” from Ofcom that new measures would be taken to protect teenagers from Meta’s “rollback of hate speech policies”, adding that children were now at “greater risk of cumulative harm driven by algorithms”.
The question of algorithms is one that unites the supporters and critics of stricter government regulation on social media.
The Advertising Association warned of "compliance burdens" for services that are not primarily aimed at children, affecting small to medium sized businesses and start-ups, in its critique of the draft code.
Big Brother Watch, a campaign group that focuses on online privacy, feared stricter age checks comes at the expense of online anonymity, which it says is also crucial for teenagers exploring issues that may be too sensitive to discuss at home.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, introduced new restrictions to its teen accounts this month ahead of the new codes.
Children under 16 will not be able to go live on Instagram or to turn off protection from unwanted images without permission from their parents, who would be added to the account. The minimum age to access Instagram and Facebook has remained at 13.
Meta also said it has moved at least 54 million youths globally into teen accounts since they were introduced in September, and that 97 per cent of those aged between of 13 and 15 have also kept its built-in restrictions.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company%20profile
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SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Asia Cup Qualifier
Venue: Kuala Lumpur
Result: Winners play at Asia Cup in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in September
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29: Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30: UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6: Final
Asia Cup
Venue: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Schedule: Sep 15-28
Teams: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, plus the winner of the Qualifier
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
PRO BASH
Thursday’s fixtures
6pm: Hyderabad Nawabs v Pakhtoon Warriors
10pm: Lahore Sikandars v Pakhtoon Blasters
Teams
Chennai Knights, Lahore Sikandars, Pakhtoon Blasters, Abu Dhabi Stars, Abu Dhabi Dragons, Pakhtoon Warriors and Hyderabad Nawabs.
Squad rules
All teams consist of 15-player squads that include those contracted in the diamond (3), platinum (2) and gold (2) categories, plus eight free to sign team members.
Tournament rules
The matches are of 25 over-a-side with an 8-over power play in which only two fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle. Teams play in a single round robin league followed by the semi-finals and final. The league toppers will feature in the semi-final eliminator.
Scores in brief:
Boost Defenders 205-5 in 20 overs
(Colin Ingram 84 not out, Cameron Delport 36, William Somerville 2-28)
bt Auckland Aces 170 for 5 in 20 overs
(Rob O’Donnell 67 not out, Kyle Abbott 3-21).
Lewis Hamilton in 2018
Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th
if you go
Getting there
Etihad (Etihad.com), Emirates (emirates.com) and Air France (www.airfrance.com) fly to Paris’ Charles de Gaulle Airport, from Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively. Return flights cost from around Dh3,785. It takes about 40 minutes to get from Paris to Compiègne by train, with return tickets costing €19. The Glade of the Armistice is 6.6km east of the railway station.
Staying there
On a handsome, tree-lined street near the Chateau’s park, La Parenthèse du Rond Royal (laparenthesedurondroyal.com) offers spacious b&b accommodation with thoughtful design touches. Lots of natural woods, old fashioned travelling trunks as decoration and multi-nozzle showers are part of the look, while there are free bikes for those who want to cycle to the glade. Prices start at €120 a night.
More information: musee-armistice-14-18.fr ; compiegne-tourisme.fr; uk.france.fr
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
Brief scores:
Liverpool 3
Mane 24', Shaqiri 73', 80'
Manchester United 1
Lingard 33'
Man of the Match: Fabinho (Liverpool)
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
LIST OF INVITEES
Shergo Kurdi (am)
Rayhan Thomas
Saud Al Sharee (am)
Min Woo Lee
Todd Clements
Matthew Jordan
AbdulRahman Al Mansour (am)
Matteo Manassero
Alfie Plant
Othman Al Mulla
Shaun Norris
Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
The%20stats%20and%20facts
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Super Saturday race card
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
