UK regulator Ofcom launched an investigation into TikTok to assess whether the platform is meeting its obligations under the country’s Online Safety Act to protect children from harmful digital content.

The probe will assess whether the ByteDance-owned platform has implemented effective age assurance systems to determine if a user is underage and prevent children from encountering harmful material online.

Ofcom’s Age Assurance report, published today, suggested that some age inference models including those used by TikTok “may have failed to correctly identify a significant proportion of children”, potentially exposing them to harmful content.

If compliance failures are identified, the watchdog could impose fines of up to £18 million or 10% of the company’s global revenue, whichever is greater. In serious cases, it can also order third parties, including payment providers, advertising services or internet service providers, to withdraw services or block access to the platform in the UK.

A TikTok spokesperson told Reuters the platform “strictly enforces age-appropriate experiences through expert-informed platform rules and advanced age inference technologies, in line with major industry peers”, adding, “we are confident that we meet our Online Safety Act obligations and will work with Ofcom to demonstrate this”.

The probe follows initial findings published by Ofcom in May, which revealed TikTok was the service most frequently cited by children as a source of harmful content. More than half of underage users who recalled seeing harmful content identified TikTok as the source, ahead of YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook.

At the time, the regulator found personalised, algorithm-driven content feeds were a key route through which children encountered harmful material online. It added TikTok was “particularly concerning” as it was one of the platforms that had “not committed to any significant changes in response to our specific demands”.

Last month, the UK government laid out plans to impose a sweeping ban on social media access for under-16 users, alongside restrictions on gaming and live-streaming platforms.

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Huawei unveiled its Pura 90s Series smartphone lineup at a launch event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, placing design and photography upgrades at the centre.

Huawei emphasised the series aims to allow users to move efficiently “from capture to refinement” across long-range, macro and low-light photography. The smartphones are fitted with a 200MP ultra large sensor telephoto camera system, alongside a 50MP main sensor and a 40MP ultra-wide lens.

The telephoto setup supports 4x optical zoom and up to 100x digital zoom. AI-powered composition and image optimisation tools are also built in to speed up editing.

The top-end Pura 90s Pro Max variant features a 6.9-inch LTPO OLED display with 1-120Hz adaptive refresh. The device runs on the Chinese vendor’s proprietary EMUI 16.0 operating system and is available in 12GB RAM configurations paired with 256GB or 512GB storage options.

The series comes equipped with a 6,000mAh battery in non-EU markets and support for up to 100W wired and 80W wireless super charging. Handsets are available in four colour gradients.

Alongside the smartphone launch, Huawei unveiled its MatePad Air tablet featuring an OLED PaperMatte display and a bundle of AI tools aimed at supporting document and content workflows. The vendor also refreshed its wearables portfolio with the FreeClip 2 S earbuds, introducing two new colour options, a redesigned charging case and improved user comfort.

Huawei added its latest launches underscore its ambition to building a “connected and cohesive user experience” aimed at supporting “diverse user needs”.

The vendor first launched its Pura 90 series earlier this year, alongside its wide-screen Pura X Max foldable smartphone.

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OpenAI is reportedly preparing to enter the consumer hardware market with a portable, screen-free smart speaker designed to serve as an AI companion in the home.

Sources told Bloomberg the device will access ChatGPT’s AI capabilities to control smart home appliances, play media, answer questions and respond to messages. It will utilise OpenAI’s GPT-Live voice technology to listen and adaptively respond at the same time to support more natural conversations and incorporate AI models beyond those used in existing smart speakers.

In addition, the hardware will apparently feature a camera and sensors to enable the AI to read its surroundings. Unlike conventional smart speakers, the rechargeable device will be portable and feature moving mechanical elements.

It will also draw on user data such as emails to become increasingly personalised over time. OpenAI envisions the speaker developing a humanlike personality, proactively surfacing information, anticipating users’ needs and acting as a physical embodiment of ChatGPT.

OpenAI’s hardware unit is reportedly developing around five products in total, with the speaker set to be the first to market.

Last year, the company splashed $6.5 billion to acquire io Products, the device startup co-founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive. Ive’s creative design studio LoveFrom is also working on the hardware line.

A hardware launch would put the ChatGPT-maker in direct competition with Apple, Amazon and Google in consumer devices.

Trade secrets
Last week, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and io Products, alleging “theft of trade secrets” obtained through former employees during hiring to accelerate the development of its AI devices. According to its lawsuit, more than 400 former Apple employees have joined OpenAI’s hardware effort.

Drew Pusateri, a spokesman for OpenAI, told the BBC OpenAI has “no interest in other companies’ trade secrets” and is “focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere”.

Apple is seeking an injunction that could delay the AI giant’s device sales. According to Bloomberg, OpenAI is aiming to unveil the speaker later this year, with release targeted for 2027, subject to the lawsuit.

Meanwhile, Apple is reportedly developing its own AI-focused home devices including a smart home hub with a 7-inch display and facial recognition tied to the upcoming AI-powered Siri revamp in iOS 27.

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Research commissioned by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) found UK teenagers participating in a social media restriction trial reported improvements in sleep, concentration and family life.

The study conducted by market research consultancy Savanta tracked 309 households through a one month pilot testing three approaches to social media restrictions on those aged 13- to 17-years old: a 15-minute daily limit per app, a 9pm to 7am overnight curfew and complete removal of selected social media apps.

Participants across all three groups reported better sleep, improved concentration, more time for studying and increased interaction with family members. However, the impact varied depending on the level of restriction.

The overnight curfew delivered the most consistent sleep benefits and was the easiest restriction for families to maintain, with many continuing it after the trial ended.

A complete ban on social media apps produced the strongest reported gains in focus and reduced distraction, but also caused the greatest disruption to teenagers’ social lives. Many participants argued platforms including Snapchat were central to maintaining friendships, organising plans and staying connected with peers.

Meanwhile, the 15-minute daily limit encouraged more deliberate use but remained the least popular approach, with many finding the limit too short to maintain meaningful online interactions.

However, the study found teenagers often dodged restrictions by accessing social media platforms through other devices, downloading virtual private networks (VPNs) and making false age declarations. “There’s no point in banning it because we’re going to find a way to bypass it anyway,” said one 14-year-old on the overnight curfew.

Social norm

The trial was commissioned before outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to ban social media platforms including Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and X, for under-16s across the country. Starmer said the move would “give kids their childhood back”, joining a wave of governments across the world imposing social media restrictions for underage users.

Participants broadly backed some form of restriction but preferred rules to scale with age, paired with parental guidance, involvement from young people in designing policies and investment in education, practical support and offline alternatives. The report warned that without substitutes, digital curbs risk pushing teens to other screens, including streaming, television and gaming. “You can’t take something away and not have something to replace it,” one parent said.

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Switzerland’s competition authority launched a preliminary antitrust investigation into Google after it scrapped a search engine selection feature for Swiss users setting up Android devices.

In a statement, the country’s Secretariat of the Competition Commission (COMCO) accused Google of discontinuing the Android Choice Screen feature for users in Switzerland while continuing to offer it in the European Economic Area (EEA).

The screen allows users to select their preferred default search engine during the initial setup of a new Android device.

Swiss users are apparently now presented with Google Search as the default option without being shown the Choice Screen. The watchdog argued this could strengthen the search giant’s position by reducing the visibility of rival providers and “reinforcing barriers to entry” at a critical stage of device setup.

The Choice Screen is designed to reduce “the lock-in effects associated with preconfigured settings”, noting default settings “play a decisive role” in digital markets, the regulator stated.

The watchdog flagged broader competition concerns, stating the change “could affect the ability of search engine providers and, more broadly, other digital service providers to compete”.

A further point of concern for COMCO was the continued availability of the feature in the EEA, arguing the disparity “creates an unequal treatment…even though the competitive issues are comparable”.

Wider assessment
The preliminary investigation will determine whether Google’s conduct breaches Switzerland’s Cartel Act, under which COMCO can impose administrative fines of up to 10% of a company’s Swiss turnover over the previous three years.

“We look forward to cooperating fully with the authority to address ​their questions,” a Google spokesperson told Reuters.

While the probe is focused on Android, the watchdog added its findings “could also be relevant to the assessment of practices related to default settings on other mobile devices”.

Early this year, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened a similar antitrust investigation into Google’s mobile ecosystem over concerns the company used its market power to set up barriers against rival services and favour their own products.

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