France targets Australia-style social media ban for children next year

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/dec/31/france-plans-social-media-ban-for-under-15s-from-september-2026

#HackerNews #France #SocialMediaBan #AustraliaStyle #Children #Safety #2026

A small but growing number of parents in China are rethinking the country’s rigorous education system and switching to homeschooling, despite a current ban on the practice. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/30/asia-pacific/society/china-homeschool-students-youth/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #asiapacific #society #china #education #eastasia #children #schools

I saw a headline on a UK tabloid paper yesterday, alleging that the majority of people in the UK support a social media ban for under 16s.

There is a proposal for this before Parliament at the moment, and I think that it has some fundamental flaws.

## A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct #children #SocialMedia

I saw a headline on a UK tabloid paper yesterday, alleging that the majority of people in the UK support a social media ban for under 16s.

There is a proposal for this before Parliament at the moment, and I think that it has some fundamental flaws.

## A proposed legislative amendment to attempt to ban under 16s in the UK from common messaging services, sharing family photos, using Wikipedia, and doing much else online, by imposing age assurance on everyone

https://decoded.legal/blog/2025/12/a-proposed-legislative-amendment-to-attempt-to-ban-under-16s-in-the-uk-from-common-messaging-services-sharing-family-photos-using-wikipedia-and-doing-much-else-online-by-imposing-age-assurance-on-everyone/

#OnlineSafetyAct #children #SocialMedia

The education ministry revised the calculation method for Japan’s university entry rate, after it was learned that the initial rate didn’t reflect graduates from schools for those with disabilities. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/26/japan/university-entry-rate-correction/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #education #children #disability #specialeducation #universities #mext #surveys

Don't post pictures and videos of kids on your public profile.
Especially if you don't have autodelete set up.

Did you ask them?
Will they mind later even if they say they don't now - are they capable of understanding what that privacy violation means?
You can be. You can just not do it.
#children #onlineSafety #Privacy #photos #christmas

Don't post pictures and videos of kids on your public profile.
Especially if you don't have autodelete set up.

Did you ask them?
Will they mind later even if they say they don't now - are they capable of understanding what that privacy violation means?
You can be. You can just not do it.
#children #onlineSafety #Privacy #photos #christmas

The Japanese government has adopted an ordinance to enforce a revised Civil Code that will introduce joint parental custody of children after divorce, starting on April 1, 2026. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/25/japan/society/japan-joint-custody-april-start/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #civilcode #divorce #parenthood #children #japanesecourts

From buying glass breakers to opting for new cars, Tesla owners are having to go to great lengths to deal with a problem most had never imagined: being unable to open malfunctioning doors in the electric vehicle. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/12/24/companies/tesla-malfunctioning-door-handles/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #tesla #children #cars #electricvehicles #carmakers

A Thai girl who had been forced to perform sexual services at a massage parlor in Tokyo is expected to soon be returned to her home country, where she is to live in a local support facility, according to media reports. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/24/japan/crime-legal/thai-girl-massage-return/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #thailand #taiwan #japanesepolice #sexcrimes #children #humantrafficking #childabuse #thailandjapanrelations #tokyo

Ireland started a Pause Before You Post Awareness Campaign: sharing photos and videos of children online can lead to unintended oversharing of personal data, which, in the wrong hands, can have serious consequences. Wise initiative!

#socialmedia #video #photography #privacy #children #child #kids #safety #ireland

The number of children on waiting lists for gakudō hoiku after-school facilities fell for the first time in four years as of May 1, the Children and Families Agency has said, after authorities boosted capacity. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/society/children-waiting-list-fall/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #children #schools

As prices keep rising, 98% of struggling families with children in Japan said they have been suffering economic hardship since the COVID-19 pandemic, a survey by nonprofit organization Kidsdoor shows. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/society/hardship-families-pandemic-survey/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #society #covid19injapan #poverty #children #surveys #christmas #newyear

A total of 281 teachers and staff at kindergartens, public elementary, junior high and high schools in Japan were disciplined for sexual offenses in fiscal 2024. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/23/japan/crime-legal/sexual-misconduct-educators/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #mext #elementaryschools #juniorhighschools #highschools #children #sexcrimes #kindergartens #teachers #surveys

Trump & RFK are bringing back the worst of U.S. criminal racist medical abuses of the past, like the Tuskegee experiment that killed over 100 African American men the South.

This time, in the name of proving that vaccines are unnecessary, or dangerous, they've awarded a $1.6 million grant to a group of controversial Danish researchers (The Bandim group) to delay the hepatitis B vaccine to children in Guinea-Bissau, despite the fact that it has already been proven safe and effective, particularly when given to newborns. This is in a region with high endemic hepatitis B prevalence (up to 20% of the population is infected). And it is particularly unethical and cruel, when any delay in vaccination increases the risk of lifelong, irreversible hepatitis infection and premature death.

Past studies by the Bandim researchers have been challenged by mainstream scientists, but championed by anti-vaccine activists like RFK Jr. The grant smacks of corruption and cronyism, as it was awarded to the Danish team without any competition from any other scientists. A review published in Vaccine last month found that the Bandim researchers “have systematically over-interpreted the findings from their randomized trials” for 25 years.

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-vaccines/cdc-awards-16-million-hepatitis-b-vaccine-study-controversial-danish-researchers

#publichealth #hepatitis #vaccines #antivax #rfkjr #trump #cdc #africa #racism #children #ethics

A panel on Monday released draft guidelines for a system to check the sexual offense records of teachers and others whose work involves contact with children. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/22/japan/japan-dbs-guidelines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #sexcrimes #teachers #children #schools #childrenandfamiliesagency

In the top-selling book of 2025 in Japan, “Dai Pinchi Zukan 3,” a clumsy schoolboy with a bowl haircut and cowlick runs into familiar foibles of childhood such as “cat follows you home.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/21/books/kids-book-japan-daipinchi-zukan/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #books #childrensbooks #children #parenthood #2025inreview

More than half of cases of sexual deepfakes targeting those under 18 and reported to Japanese police were created by classmates of the victims, National Police Agency data have shown. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/12/18/japan/crime-legal/half-deepfake-classmates/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #npa #japanesepolice #ai #children #socialmedia #deepfakes #elementaryschools #juniorhighschools #highschools