Italy's probe into whether Sephora and Benefit used micro-influencers to drive compulsive purchasing among children has taken the "Sephora kids" phenomenon from meme to regulatory matter – raising the question of whether the industry's attempts to self-regulate were ever going to be enough.

Apr 1, 2026

YouTube and Meta have vowed to appeal a landmark US verdict that found their platforms contributed to harm – in a move that could fundamentally reshape how social media products are designed and regulated.

Mar 27, 2026

Nigeria has launched a public consultation on whether to restrict children’s access to social media, joining a growing number of governments exploring protections for young users online.

Mar 17, 2026

India is attempting to bring order to the often informal world of influencer marketing by introducing a standard contract designed to set clearer rules for brand collaborations.

Mar 11, 2026

Indonesia will ban children under 16 from opening accounts on a range of "high-risk" social media platforms, in a move the government says is designed to protect children from online abuse.

Mar 10, 2026

Influencers are being invited into the UK’s landmark review of children’s online safety, as ministers consider social media age limits and tighter controls on addictive platform features. The outcome could reshape how platforms operate and how creators reach young audiences.

Mar 3, 2026

Seven influencers have been sentenced in the UK after pleading guilty to issuing unauthorised financial promotions, following enforcement action by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Feb 23, 2026

Influencer advertising remains significantly harder for UK audiences to recognise than brand-run social media ads, new research from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) shows – a finding with direct implications for creators navigating compliance and trust. The study, based on a survey of ...

Feb 13, 2026

Content creators could gain new rights to restrict how their work is used in Google’s AI-powered search features, under new proposals floated by the UK’s competition watchdog.

Jan 29, 2026