INTERNACIONAL
Australia removes 4.7M kids from social media platforms in first month of historic ban
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Social media companies have removed access to millions of accounts belonging to children in Australia in the first month since the country’s historic ban took effect, requiring platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age 16.
Access was revoked for roughly 4.7 million users, according to Australian officials, who on Friday touted the early success of the law, which was enacted in mid-December amid fears surrounding the impact of online environments on young people.
«Today, we can announce that this is working,» Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said during a news conference. «This is a source of Australian pride. This was world-leading legislation, but it is now being followed up around the world.»
Under the law, 10 social media giants — Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok, Snapchat, Kick, Reddit, Threads, Twitch and YouTube — must locate and deactivate accounts of Australian users under the age of 16. The companies face fines of up to $33 million if they don’t take «reasonable steps» to remove underage users.
AUSTRALIAN MOTHER CALLS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AGE RESTRICTIONS AFTER DAUGHTER’S SUICIDE
Australia’s prime minister celebrated the success of a new law, which requires social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok to identify and deactivate users under the age of 16. (Tracey Nearmy/Getty Images; Anna Barclay/Getty Images)
«We stared down everybody who said it couldn’t be done, some of the most powerful and rich companies in the world and their supporters,» said Australian communications minister Anika Wells. «Now Australian parents can be confident that their kids can have their childhoods back.»
According to Australia’s eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, there are roughly 2.5 million Australians between the ages of 8 and 15, with about 84% of 8 to 12-year-olds having at least one social media account. While the total number of accounts across platforms is unknown, Inman Grant said the number of deactivated or restricted accounts was encouraging.
«We’re preventing predatory social media companies from accessing our children,» she said at a news conference.
NEARLY TWO-THIRDS OF AMERICAN VOTERS BACK SOCIAL MEDIA BAN FOR KIDS UNDER 16, FOX NEWS POLL SHOWS
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets police officers during a visit to the NSW Police headquarters, following a deadly shooting incident during a Jewish holiday celebration at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. (Hollie Adams/Reuters)
Critics of the new ban have argued that it will be difficult to enforce, and Inman Grant acknowledged that there are still some active underage accounts.
«We don’t expect safety laws to eliminate every single breach. If we did, speed limits would have failed because people speed, drinking limits would have failed because, believe it or not, some kids do get access to alcohol,» she said.
She added that based on data reviewed by her office, there was an increase in downloads of alternative apps after the ban began, but not a spike in usage.
Social media platforms can verify age by either requesting copies of identification documents, using a third party to apply age estimation technology to an account holder’s face, or making inferences from data already available, such as how long an account has been active.
Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads, said earlier this week that it had removed nearly 550,000 accounts belonging to users it believed were under the age of 16 just one day after the ban began.
While the law was popular among parents and child safety campaigners, online privacy advocates and groups representing teenagers largely came out against it.
FRANCE REPORTEDLY PLANNING TO BAN CHILDREN UNDER 15 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA STARTING 2026
A teenager in Sydney holds a phone displaying an Instagram age-verification message after the account was locked on Dec. 9, 2025. (AFP via Getty Images)
Other countries have weighed similar measures in step with Australia, and some American lawmakers have also signaled their interest in pursuing social media restrictions in the U.S.
«I think we ought to look at what Australia’s doing, for example, requiring access to these social media platforms to not be available to anybody under the age of 16,» Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said last month.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., previously said that «protecting children is an avenue that should be pursued.»
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«I won’t rule out some sort of limitation in sales or distribution or use of those devices… Parents and grandparents need a helping hand; this is getting out of hand,» he said.
Fox News Digital’s Nora Moriarty, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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INTERNACIONAL
El presidente de la Cámara de los Comunes notificó a la policía sobre el posible riesgo de fuga de Peter Mandelson
El presidente de la Cámara de los Comunes del Reino Unido dijo el miércoles que avisó a la policía que Peter Mandelson, el ex embajador en Estados Unidos que enfrenta acusaciones de filtrar información al fallecido delincuente sexual convicto Jeffrey Epstein, existía un posible riesgo de fuga.
Mandelson fue arrestado el lunes en su domicilio del norte de Londres bajo sospecha de mala conducta en el ejercicio de un cargo público. Quedó en libertad bajo fianza la madrugada del martes tras más de nueve horas de interrogatorio.
Los abogados de Mandelson, ex ministro de alto rango del gabinete, dijeron que el arresto fue el resultado de una “sugerencia infundada” de que planeaba huir del país y se llevó a cabo a pesar de un acuerdo de que hablaría voluntariamente con la Policía Metropolitana de Londres cuando se le solicitara.
El presidente de la Cámara de Representantes, Lindsay Hoyle, dijo a los legisladores que pasó información “relevante” a la policía, sin revelar la fuente.
“Para evitar cualquier especulación inexacta, me gustaría confirmar que, tras recibir la información que consideré relevante, la transmito de buena fe a la Policía Metropolitana, como es mi deber y responsabilidad”, declaró Hoyle. “Es lamentable que esto haya desaparecido rápidamente en los medios”.
Hoyle agregó que no sería apropiado que dijera nada más porque la investigación sobre Mandelson estaba en curso.
“La principal prioridad de Peter Mandelson es cooperar con la investigación policial, como lo ha hecho durante todo este proceso, y limpiar su nombre”, dijeron sus abogados del bufete Mishcon De Reya después de su liberación.
El arresto de Mandelson se produjo cuatro días después de que el ex príncipe Andrés fuera arrestado por la misma sospecha de mala conducta en un cargo público vinculado a Epstein.
Ambos hombres enfrentan acusaciones de haberle entregado información confidencial del gobierno al financiero caído en desgracia. Las acusaciones surgieron después de que el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos publicara el mes pasado un conjunto de más de tres millones de páginas de documentos relacionados con Epstein.
Mandelson, de 72 años, parece haber enviado a Epstein, a quien se refería como su “mejor amigo”, información gubernamental sensible que potencialmente podría influir en los mercados cuando era ministro principal del gobierno británico en 2009 y 2010.
Un informe interno del gobierno abordó la posible venta de activos gubernamentales para recaudar fondos para el Reino Unido tras la crisis financiera mundial de 2008. También pareció decirle a Epstein —quien se suicidó en una prisión de Nueva York en 2019— que presionaría a otros miembros del gobierno para que redujeran un impuesto sobre las bonificaciones de los banqueros.
Los registros de pago sugieren que Epstein entregó a Mandelson o a su esposo, Reinaldo Ávila da Silva, 75.000 dólares en 2003 y 2004. Mandelson afirmó no recordar haber recibido ese dinero y cuestionó la autenticidad de los extractos bancarios. Ha negado haber actuado mal.
Mandelson no enfrenta acusaciones de conducta sexual inapropiada.
El ex príncipe Andrés, ahora conocido como Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, también ha negado cualquier irregularidad en sus vínculos con el delincuente sexual convicto Epstein, pero no ha respondido directamente a las últimas acusaciones derivadas de los llamados Archivos Epstein.
(con información de AP)
North America
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President Donald Trump delivered a sweeping to-do list to Congress during his State of the Union address on Tuesday, urging lawmakers seven separate times to take action on priorities ranging from drug pricing and border security to crime and housing policy.
Codify «Trump Rx» Prescription Drug Pricing
Trump urged Congress to enshrine his «Most-Favored-Nation» drug pricing policy into law as part of his «Trump Rx» initiative. The policy aims to tie U.S. prescription drug prices to the lowest prices paid by other developed nations.
Earlier this month, his administration launched the TrumpRx website, a federal platform designed to allow Americans to search for select brand-name medications and access lower negotiated prices.
The site stems from agreements the White House said in December it reached with nine major pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi and Bristol Myers Squibb. It lists dozens of high-cost drugs offered at discount prices to treat conditions such as diabetes, asthma, HIV, hepatitis C, multiple sclerosis and cardiovascular disease.
A page on the TrumpRx site is displayed on Feb. 9, 2026 in Chicago, Illinois. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Despite suggesting it would be politically difficult to reverse the policy, Trump told lawmakers to «codify it anyway.»
Make Ban on Wall Street Home Purchases Permanent
After highlighting the story of a Houston mother outbid on 20 homes by investment firms, Trump asked Congress to make permanent his executive order banning large Wall Street-backed firms from buying single-family homes in bulk. «We want homes for people, not for corporations,» he said.
Pass the «Stop Insider Trading Act»
While outlining retirement policy changes and pledging to protect Social Security and Medicare, Trump pivoted to ethics reform, calling on lawmakers to «pass the ‘Stop Insider Trading Act’ without delay.»
The measure would ban members of Congress from buying individual stocks and require advance public notice before sales.
TRUMP TAKES JAB AT PELOSI BY NAME OVER HISTORY OF CONTROVERSIAL STOCK TRADING
Lawmakers attend the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., who introduced the bill, told FOX Business in January, «If you want to trade stocks you should go to Wall Street, not to Capitol Hill. I think we have an opportunity here to dramatically improve America’s trust in Congress.»
Pass the «Dalilah Law»
Following the story of a young girl seriously injured in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver, Trump called on Congress to pass what he dubbed the «Dalilah Law,» barring states from issuing commercial driver’s licenses to people in the country illegally.
«Dalilah Coleman was only 5 years old in June 2024 when an 18-wheel tractor-trailer plowed into her stopped car, traveling at 60 miles an hour or more,» Trump said. «The driver was an illegal alien let in by Joe Biden and given a commercial driver’s license by open borders politicians in California.»
Coleman’s father said the crash left her in a coma for three weeks and required six months of hospital treatment before her family could bring her home.
Restore Border and Homeland Security Funding
Trump accused Democrats of cutting off funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which is currently operating under a partial shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a funding bill.
He demanded the «full and immediate restoration» of border and homeland security funding, framing it as essential to protecting Americans from crime and terrorism.
DHS TOUTS ‘MOST SECURE BORDER’ IN US HISTORY AMID DEPARTURE OF NEARLY 3M ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS
President Donald Trump speaks during the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
End Sanctuary Cities
The president also urged lawmakers to end so-called sanctuary city policies, calling for «serious penalties» against public officials who block the removal of criminal illegal immigrants.
«They’re blocking the removal of these people out of our country. And you should be ashamed of yourself,» Trump told Democrats to loud Republican cheers.
ICE ARRESTS CONVICTED PEDOPHILES, VIOLENT ASSAILANTS AS TRUMP MEETS WITH ANGEL FAMILIES
President Donald Trump leaves after delivering the State of the Union address in the House Chamber of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 24, 2026, in Washington, D.C. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)
Pass Tougher Laws for Repeat Offenders
Closing his legislative appeals, Trump asked Congress to pass stricter sentencing laws to ensure «violent and dangerous repeat offenders are put behind bars — and, importantly, that they stay there.»
He cited the death of 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska, a Ukrainian refugee, who was stabbed to death on a train in Charlotte, North Carolina, in August.
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«Iryna was riding home on the train when a deranged monster who had been arrested over a dozen times and was released through no cash bail, stood up and viciously slashed a knife through her neck and body. No one will ever forget there were people on that train,» Trump said. «No one will ever forget the expression of terror on Iryna’s face as she looked up at her attacker in the last seconds of her life. She died instantly. She had escaped a brutal war, only to be slain by a hardened criminal set free to kill in America.»
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INTERNACIONAL
Ukraine to meet Trump envoys ahead of high-stakes Geneva talks with Russia as war enters fifth year
Russia-Ukraine war enters fifth year
Fox News senior foreign affairs correspondent Greg Palkot joins ‘America Reports’ to discuss the start of the fifth year in the war between Russia and Ukraine, the impact it has had on both countries and the ongoing efforts to negotiate peace.
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Representatives from Ukraine and the U.S. are reportedly set to meet ahead of high-stakes trilateral talks in Geneva that will include Russian envoys. The report about the meeting comes just after the Russia-Ukraine war entered its fifth year.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told reporters about the Thursday U.S.-Ukraine meeting, The Associated Press reported. The Ukrainian leader reportedly said that Thursday’s meeting would focus on the possibility of post-war recovery for Ukraine as well as preparations for an upcoming trilateral meeting with Russia, according to the AP.
The meeting is expected to involve Rustem Umerov, Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary, U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, according to the AP, which cited Zelenskyy. Additionally, Umerov’s press secretary Diana Davytian told the AP that the meeting would take place in Geneva. The outlet noted that the Swiss city is also expected to be the site of U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations on the same day as the trilateral talks.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and U.S. President Donald Trump shake hands during their meeting at the sidelines of the 56th annual World Economic Forum (WEF), in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026. (Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters)
Zelenskyy said that he had tasked Umerov with discussing a possible prisoner exchange, the AP reported. He added that Ukraine would like the talks with Russia to take place next week.
The Trump administration’s push to end the years-long war has brought Russian and Ukrainian envoys to the table in both Abu Dhabi and Geneva, though the meetings have yet to produce a breakthrough for peace.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have both met separately with President Donald Trump. Despite a peace deal agreement being close, territorial disputes remain, Zelenskyy said. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP; Christian Bruna/Getty)
PUTIN PUTS ‘NUCLEAR TRIAD’ ON FAST TRACK, ZELENSKYY CLAIMS ‘WORLD WAR 3’ UNDERWAY
Last week, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on X that he had met with Zelenskyy and discussed «Ukraine’s security and deepening defense and economic partnerships.»
«President Trump wants a solution that ends the bloodshed once and for all,» Rubio wrote.
Additionally, last week, Zelenskyy said that he spoke with Witkoff and Kushner ahead of the trilateral meetings in Geneva, which he said the Ukrainian government expects to be «truly productive.»
«We also discussed some developments following the meetings in Abu Dhabi. Not everything can be shared over the phone, and our negotiating team will present Ukraine’s position next week. I also spoke about our meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. We greatly appreciate that America consistently maintains a constructive approach and is ready to assist in protecting lives,» Zelenskyy wrote on X. «I thank President Trump, his team, and the people of the United States for their support.»
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the U.S. gave Ukraine and Russia a June deadline to end the war. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images; Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Kristina Solovyova / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)
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On Tuesday, which was the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Zelenskyy stood firm, saying that Putin had not defeated Ukraine nor broken the country’s spirit. The statement came as Ukrainian forces made the biggest gains since 2024, according to the AP, which cited the Institute for the Study of War. The institute noted that Ukranian forces have pushed back on Russia’s army at points along the front line in eastern areas of the country.
The State Department did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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