Breaking AI & Tech News Analyzed

The House of Lords has backed an Australian-style social media ban for under-16s, with peers voting 266 to 141 against proposals for a public consultation.Conservative former minister Lord Nash said the vote sent an 'unambiguous message' to the government, emphasizing that 'hollow promises and half-measures are not enough.'The vote comes after a jury in Los Angeles found that Meta, the owner of Google and Facebook, designed deliberately addictive products that harmed a 20-year-old's mental health.Nash proposed the age limit as part of the children's wellbeing and schools bill, stating that 'techies' had taken a 'cavalier approach' to content damaging to children.The decision could influence thousands of similar lawsuits in the US accusing social media companies of deliberately causing harm.Lady Cass, a paediatrician and crossbench peer, criticized the government for 'failing to understand the impact of social media on our children.'

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders are to reunite on stage for the first time in 17 years, playing the Ugly Sisters in the London Palladium pantomime production of Cinderella. The duo, who began performing together almost 50 years ago, predicted that their performance “won’t be pretty”, but expressed their excitement at finally fulfilling their dream of playing the iconic roles.The pair have a long history of collaboration, starting with their meeting as students at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London. They went on to create a hugely successful sketch comedy series for the BBC and have toured together several times, including their last tour, French and Saunders: Still Alive!, in 2008-09. In 2020, they teamed up again for a podcast, Titting About.Michael Harrison, the producer of the Palladium panto, expressed his delight at having French and Saunders on board, citing their legendary chemistry and razor-sharp humour as a guarantee of a special experience for audiences. The production will also star Dex Lee as Prince Charming, Hope Dawe as Cinderella, and several other notable actors who have previously starred in pantos at the venue.The London Palladium has a history of hosting successful pantomimes, including Clary's 2016 production of Cinderella, described by the Guardian as a “tsunami of smut”. More recently, Catherine Tate joined the cast for the 2025 panto, Sleeping Beauty, which broke records with over 137,000 theatregoers attending.French and Saunders' production of Cinderella runs from 5 December to 10 January, with tickets going on sale on 2 April.