Combatting 'safety drift', more Meta-inspired layoffs and Europe's speech adversary
Hello and welcome to Everything in Moderation's Week in Review, your need-to-know news and analysis about platform policy, content moderation and internet regulation. It's written by me, Ben Whitelaw and supported by paid members like you.
I'm writing today's edition from the south of France, where it's Labour Day. I spent the morning milling through a nearby town, where locals marked the moment in 1890 when workers marched for the eight-hour day. It took another 29 years for it to become law, a reminder that change is slow and arduous.
Whether the AI transition will take quite that long is anyone’s guess, but if this week is anything to go by, Trust & Safety professionals and data labellers are on the front line of it (see: Platforms).
A big bienvenue to new free subscribers from Google, University of Berkeley, Hinge, The Home Office, The Quantum Hub, KonTerra Group and elsewhere. If you want the full-fat EiM experience, become a full member and get access to 450+ editions of Week in Review and T&S Insider.
I'm travelling next week so the next Week in Review will be on 15th May. The fantastic Georgia Iacovou (of Horrific/Terrific fame) will be guest editing Alice‘s Monday newsletter for the next month or so so be sure to look out for that.
Here's your Week in Review — BW
The tech industry is making measurable progress against online child sexual exploitation and abuse. In 2025, Tech Coalition member companies advanced 317 child safety mileposts—more than double the previous year.
These concrete improvements span prevention, detection, and response, reflecting how safety is being integrated earlier and more systematically into digital products and services.
As threats evolve, so does the industry’s response.
Policies
New and emerging internet policy and online speech regulation
Türkiye became the latest country to ban social media for teens, after legislation was passed to prevent under-15s accessing digital services including gaming platforms. According to Al Jazeera, the decision to go beyond social media comes after a a tragic shooting in southern Türkiye was reportedly carried out by a “bright but troubled teenager who spent a lot of time playing war games on his computer”. President Recep Erdogan also claimed in a speech that social media was “corrupting our children’s minds”.
From what I’ve read, the evidence is mixed about the effect of gaming on user’s aggressive behaviour and violence. If you’re closer to the evidence here — particularly from a T&S or research perspective — I’d love to hear from you.
Meanwhile UK government officials pre-empted the outcome of its ongoing under-16 social media ban consultation (EiM #333) after announcing that “age or functionality restrictions” would go ahead — but failed to say what that would look like or when it would be implemented.