European parliament calls for social media ban on under-16s
Children under 16 should be banned from using social media unless their parents decide otherwise, the European parliament says.MEPs passed a resolution on age restrictions on Wednesday by a large majority.Although not legally binding, it raises pressure for European legislation amid growing alarm about the mental health risks to children of unfettered internet access.The European Commission, which is responsible for initiating EU law, is already studying Australia’s world-first social-media ban for under-16s, which is due to take effect next month.In a speech in September, the commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she would watch the implementation of Australia’s policy.
She spoke out against “algorithms that prey on children’s vulnerabilities with the explicit purpose of creating addictions” and said parents felt powerless against “the tsunami of big tech flooding their homes”,Von der Leyen promised a panel of experts would be set up by the end of the year to advise on the best approach to protecting children,Interest is growing in restricting children’s social media and smartphone access,An expert report commissioned last year by France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, said children should not be allowed to use smartphones until the age of 13 and social media, such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat, until they were 18,Christel Schaldemose, the Danish Social Democrat MEP who drafted the resolution, told reporters that politicians needed to act to protect children: “It is not just parents.
Society also needs to step up and make sure that platforms are a safe place for minors to be, but only if they are above a certain age.”Her report called for the default disabling of addictive features on internet platforms when used by minors, such as infinite scrolling (endless content as the user scrolls down), videos that automatically play, excessive push notifications and rewards for repeated use of a site.The resolution noted that “addictive design features are often inherent to the business model of platforms, notably social media”.An earlier draft of the Schaldemose report cited a study stating that one in four children and young people displayed “problematic” or “dysfunctional” smartphone use – behavioural patterns mirroring addiction.The resolution said children should be 16 before they could access social media, although parents could give consent from the age of 13.
The White House is urging the EU to roll back its digital laws and some supporters of a social media ban explicitly framed the vote in this context.At a meeting in Brussels on Monday, Howard Lutnick, the US commerce secretary, said EU rules on tech companies needed to be more “balanced” in exchange for lower US steel and aluminium tariffs.Referring to Lutnick’s visit, Stéphanie Yon-Courtin, a French MEP from Macron’s party, said Europe was not “a regulatory colony”.In a statement after the vote, she added: “Our digital laws are not for sale.We will not back down on children’s protections because a foreign billionaire or big tech tells us to.
”The EU already seeks to protect internet users from online harms, such as disinformation, cyberbullying and illegal content, via its Digital Services Act,But the resolution said this law had gaps and could do more to protect children from addictive design features and online exploitation, such as financial incentives to become influencers,Schaldemose said the act, which she co-authored, was strong “but we could go further, especially in areas of addictive design features and harmful dark pattern practices where we are not so specific, not so precise”,Sign up to TechScapeA weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our livesafter newsletter promotionDark patterns refer to app or website design features to influence decision-making, such as countdown timers to encourage users to make purchases, or nagging requests to turn on location trackers and notifications,Schaldemose’s resolution was adopted by 483 MEPs and opposed by 92, with 86 abstentions.
Eurosceptic MEPs criticised the plan, saying the EU would be overreaching if it banned social media access for children.“Decisions about children’s access must be taken as close to families as possible – in the member states, not in Brussels,” said Kosma Złotowski, a Polish member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group.The resolution was passed only one week after the commission announced delays to changes to its Artificial Intelligence Act and other digital laws in a push to lighten regulation on companies in the name of “simplification”.Schaldemose said she appreciated the need to avoid creating too many laws but added “there is a willingness to do more when it comes to kids and protection of our children in the EU”.
‘Alicante cuisine epitomises the Mediterranean’: a gastronomic journey in south-east Spain
The Alicante region is renowned for its rice and seafood dishes. Less well known is that its restaurant scene has a wealth of talented female chefs, a rarity in SpainI’m on a quest in buzzy, beachy Alicante on the Costa Blanca to investigate the rice dishes the Valencian province is famed for, as well as explore the vast palm grove of nearby Elche. I start with a pilgrimage to a restaurant featured in my book on tapas, New Tapas, a mere 25 years ago. Mesón de Labradores in the pedestrianised old town is now engulfed by Italian eateries (so more pizza and pasta than paella) but it remains a comforting outpost of tradition and honest food.Here I catch up with Timothy Denny, a British chef who relocated to Spain, gained an alicantina girlfriend and became a master of dishes from the region
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for spiced paneer puffs with quick-pickled carrot raita | Quick and easy
These moreish little pastries are as lovely for a snack as they are for dinner, and they take just minutes to put together. I like to fill squares of pastry and fold them into little triangular puffs, but if you prefer more of a Cornish pasty look (*food writer cancelled for suggesting paneer is an appropriate pasty filling!*), by all means stamp out circles, fold into half-moons and crimp the edges.Prep 20 min Cook 25 min Serves 3-4225g block paneer 2 spring onions, trimmed20g mint leavesZest of 1 lime, plus 15ml lime juice1 green chilli, deseeded if you wish1 heaped tsp flaky sea salt1 tbsp self-raising flour320g roll puff pastry 1 egg, beatenFor the quick-pickled carrot raita ½ tsp fennel seeds ½ tsp coriander seeds, lightly crushed30ml white-wine vinegar½ tsp flaky sea salt, crumbled2 spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped300g carrots, peeled, quartered lengthways and finely sliced150g natural yoghurtHeat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7. Tip the paneer, spring onions, mint leaves, lime zest and juice, green chilli and salt into a food processor, and blitz, scraping down the sides occasionally, until the mix resembles very fine couscous. Add the flour, and blitz again until the mix has broken down even more finely
Chef Skye Gyngell, who pioneered the slow food movement, dies aged 62
Tributes have been paid to the pioneering chef and restaurant proprietor Skye Gyngell, who has died aged 62.The Australian was an early celebrity proponent of using local and seasonal ingredients and built a garden restaurant from scratch, the Petersham Nurseries Cafe in Richmond, south-west London, which went on to win a Michelin star.A statement released by her family and friends read: “We are deeply saddened to share news of Skye Gyngell’s passing on 22 November in London, surrounded by her family and loved ones.“Skye was a culinary visionary who influenced generations of chefs and growers globally to think about food and its connection to the land.“She leaves behind a remarkable legacy and is an inspiration to us all
How to make the perfect butter paneer – recipe | Felicity Cloake's How to make the perfect …
This luxuriantly rich, vegetarian curry – a cousin of butter chicken, which is thought to have been created in the postwar kitchens of Delhi’s Moti Mahal, though by whom is the subject of hot dispute – is, according to chef Vivek Singh, “the most famous and widely interpreted dish in India”. His fellow chef Sanjeev Kapoor describes it as “one of the bestselling dishes in restaurants” there, but here in the UK, though it’s no doubt widely enjoyed, it seems to fly somewhat under the radar on menus, where even the chicken original plays second fiddle to our beloved chicken tikka masala.If you haven’t yet fallen for the crowdpleasing charms of fresh cheese in a mild tomato sauce, consider this a strong suggestion to give it a whirl. Paneer makhni (makhni being the Hindi word for butter, hence also dal makhni), tastes incredibly fancy, but it’s relatively simple and quick to make. Just add bread and a vegetable side to turn it into a full feast
Fluffy and fabulous! 17 ways with marshmallows – from cheesecake to salad to an espresso martini
They come into their own around Thanksgiving in the US, used alongside savoury dishes, as well as in desserts. Now is the time to try them with sweet potatoes, in a strawberry mousse, or even with soupThe connection between marsh mallow the herbaceous perennial, also known as althaea officinalis, and marshmallow the puffy cylindrical sweet, is historic. In the 19th century, the sap of the plant was still a key ingredient of its confectionary namesake, along with sugar and egg whites. But that connection has long been severed: the modern industrial marshmallow is derived from a mixture of sugar, water and gelatine. Its main ingredient is air
The Shaston Arms, London W1: ‘Just because you can do things doesn’t mean you should do them’ – restaurant review | Grace Dent on restaurants
A pub that wants to be an old-school boozer and a cool restaurant both at the same timeWhile perched inside what felt like a repurposed bookshelf at the draughty back end of the Shaston Arms, sitting next to the dumb waiter and waiting for the ping to herald the arrival of my £16 plate of red mullet with squid ink rice, I had time to consider yet again the so-called “pub revival” in cool modern hospitality. Old boozers are reclaimed, reloved and restored, and the great tradition of going down the pub is celebrated. The Devonshire in nearby Piccadilly is, of course, the daddy, the Darth Vader of this trend, winning plaudits, TikTok adoration and celebrity fans aplenty. So it’s no wonder that myriad other hospitality operators have cast an eye over their local neglected fleapit and thought: “Let’s buy some Mr Sheen, give that old hovel a polish and start serving duck à l’orange and flourless chocolate tart. It’s all the rage! Gen Z loves it!”Whether Gen Z really does love anything about the pub experience as it was in the 20th century is debatable, however, because inside these poshed-up spit-and-sawdust boozers, all the phlegm and fag ash has gone – as have the dartboards, pool tables, punch-ups, topless women on KP peanut pub cards and the ever-present bar-fly alcoholic drinking himself yellow while droning on about his marital problems
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