ukpol
Well this is fucking stupid but also not as bad as the original leaks considering it can be overridden by the user & they also apparently are not planning to restrict VPNs
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/jul/14/uk-16-17-year-olds-midnight-social-media-curfew
ukpol
Interesting that they cite the low % of self reported VPN use as part of their reasoning for not restricting them. Goes to show that if you are using some measures to circumvent government restrictions it is best not to tell the fucking government about it
ukpol
"Britain's oldest children" is also an extremely funny phrase. Sounds like a channel 4 show about age regressors
ukpol
The impact of this bit about disabling autoplay and infinite scroll by default will depend a lot on how platforms respond. Many don't allow them switched off at all. Would be good if they added the options for everyone. But they might just implement it narrowly or block UK 16-17s to avoid doing it
ukpol
That's also a risk of the curfew thing, even if optional. The platforms might well not be arsed with implementing the stupid ideas of a departing government in a small country & might instead set the min age for UK access at 18 to avoid the hassle. So it could end up as a de facto under 18 ban
re: ukpol
@lion I really hope Kendall is gone when Burnham gets in. She is almost as bad at her job as Peter Kyle was - though perhaps a bit more polite.