Written by Emily Becker

France joins push to restrict social media for minors

France is set to become the first European country to impose social media restrictions on minors.

Both parliamentary houses in France approved the ban, with President Emmanuel Macron pushing for it to be enforced as of 1 September, in time for the new academic year. From this date, social media platforms will have a further 4 months to close any pre-existing accounts that fall below the age limit.

To help impose these restraints, platforms will be required to implement an age verification system approved by the French privacy regulator.

Even though social media companies have warned against blanket bans, citing existing safeguards, they have pledged to comply when governments choose to enact them.

With Australia being the first country to impose a ban, and the UK planning its own for next year, the debate continues over whether governments and social media companies can enforce these measures effectively.

Unilever bets big on content creators

Unilever’s World Cup activations this year were the largest in its history. During June and July, Unilever delivered campaigns for 35 brands across 120 markets, including a Dove body confidence campaign and an Axe “smell your best when you look your worst” campaign, engaging more than 50,000 creators to help drive impact at scale.

Executives have said the results demonstrate the value of sustained brand investment, doubling down on a creator-led approach and using major cultural moments to extend reach.

SkyNews rebrands after a 30-year run

After 30 years, SkyNews has officially rebranded.

As of Monday, the media business is now known as News24. It will retain its position as the nation’s first live 24-hour news channel while extending its reach across streaming and digital markets.

The rebrand also includes a rebuilt website and app, dedicated US and UK editions, and a reworked global television channel.

ASIC draws a line on misleading advertising

Harvey Norman and Latitude Financial have run into trouble with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC).

An ASIC investigation found the two companies promoted a 60‑month interest-free payment plan on purchased products between January 2020 and August 2021. While advertsiements implied there were no extra costs, customers needed a Latitude credit card to access the deal. The arrangement also included additional fees, outside of interest, such as monthly account charges.

The result was the largest-ever ASIC obtained penalty against a business for misleading conduct.

Italy fines six companies over 2026 Winter Olympic Games ‘ambush marketing’

Italy’s competition authority has fined six companies around €2.5 million for ‌so-called ambush marketing linked to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, after finding they had  misled customers over their sponsorship status.

The companies fined are fashion brand Harmont & Blaine, supermarket chains Il Gigante, MD, Oasi, and Pro7, and gas supplier ButanGas.

An investigation found that they ran advertising campaigns using Olympic symbols, including the five rings, and official names such as “Milano-Cortina 2026” without holding sponsorship rights.

Those looking to capitalise on the Brisbane Olympics – beware!