Theo Bertram, director of the Social Market Foundation and a former TikTok executive, called the UK announcement a “tipping point.”
He said: “The history of legislation is you have one or two outliers.
And then when you start to get countries that have a regulatory influence in the world, like the UK, joining countries like Australia – then it becomes a tipping point.”
Bertram noted that populism has accelerated the legislative cycle and that tech companies are losing public opinion.
“A fundamental worry that tech companies have is that tech regulation is becoming a topic that’s driven by public sentiment rather than expert and evidence-led policymaking,” he said.
The UK government acknowledged “known harms” from social media, particularly to “high-risk” individuals, but also benefits. Nonetheless, it decided risks outweigh benefits for under-16s.
Whistleblower Béjar stressed the need for structural change: “Young people deserve online spaces that are designed for them.”
>>> Montreal Reveals 40th International des Feux Loto-Québec Schedule
But patience is running out, and increasingly, the policy of choice is closure.
