The Information Landscape.

OpenAI is shutting down its Sora AI video generation platform less than a year after launch, discontinuing the standalone consumer app, developer version, and ChatGPT video features to refocus resources on a unified "superapp" for business, coding tools, and agentic AI amid preparations for a potential IPO. This pivot, influenced by copyright battles and the collapse of a Disney deal due to inadequate initial content protections, signals a strategic retreat from resource-intensive generative video amid commercial challenges. For organisations, it underscores the risks of over-investing in nascent AI video tools without robust IP safeguards, potentially prompting stricter internal governance on AI deployments; regulatory implications include heightened scrutiny on AI training data transparency and liability under emerging UK and EU frameworks like the AI Act.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that addictive social media features, such as endless scrolling algorithms targeting children, should not be permitted, signalling government intent to act amid parliamentary debates and a recent US ruling holding Meta and YouTube liable for mental health harms. This matters for organisations as it foreshadows stricter regulations on platform design, potentially increasing compliance burdens for tech firms and partners reliant on social media engagement. Policy implications include ongoing UK consultations on under-16 bans, with Starmer awaiting results while pressuring platforms, which could lead to enforceable curbs if the status quo is deemed insufficient.

The UK government has issued its first national screen time guidance for children under 5, recommending avoidance for under-2s except for shared bonding activities, and limiting 2-5-year-olds to no more than one hour daily of slow-paced, co-viewed content—avoiding fast-paced videos, AI tools, and screens at mealtimes or before bed. This matters for organisations supporting families, such as schools, nurseries, and digital resilience providers, as it addresses parental challenges (e.g., 98% of 2-year-olds use screens daily) and promotes early social, emotional, and language development through alternatives like family hubs and online resources. While non-binding, the evidence-based advice from the Early Years Screen Time Advisory Group signals potential regulatory shifts, amid discussions of social media bans for under-16s akin to Australia and Indonesia.

A new documentary, "The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist," features interviews with top AI company CEOs and experts, probing the AI boom's risks to humanity while questioning the appropriate level of concern for leaders. For organisations, it underscores the need for executives to confront AI's existential perils directly, potentially exposing gaps in risk assessment and accountability that could amplify operational and societal vulnerabilities. Big Tech's impact on society is being examined in a number of films and documentaries, pushing safeguarding higher up the regulatory agenda.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has launched investigations into five businesses—Autotrader, Feefo, Dignity, Just Eat, and Pasta Evangelists—for potential breaches of consumer law involving fake or misleading online reviews, such as suppressing negative feedback, incentivising 5-star ratings, or soliciting staff-written positives. This matters for organisations as fake reviews undermine consumer trust, distort purchasing decisions amid tight budgets, and risk reputational damage, sales drops, or "name and shame" publicity even without fines. Under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, the CMA wields new powers for direct enforcement, including fines up to 10% of global turnover, signalling intensified scrutiny post-grace period and prior undertakings from platforms like Amazon and Google.

The UK government has issued its first national screen time guidance for parents of under-5s, recommending no screen time for under-2s except shared bonding activities, a one-hour daily limit for 2-5 year olds, and screen-free mealtimes and bedtimes, developed with experts including the Children’s Commissioner. For organisations, this underscores the need to promote digital wellbeing in family-facing services, aligning employee and stakeholder practices with evidence-based habits to mitigate early childhood developmental risks from excessive screens. No immediate regulatory changes are outlined, but it accompanies pilots on teen social media restrictions and a consultation closing 26 May 2026, potentially informing future online safety policies.

In Isabel Brooks' Guardian article, a young woman critiques the unhelpful narrative that the internet has "ruined" Gen Z brains, amid research showing heavy social media reliance—such as 43% watching video platforms over 2 hours daily and 44% using them as primary news sources—while acknowledging potential harms like increased anxiety.

A Los Angeles jury found Meta (Facebook) and Google (YouTube) liable for negligently designing addictive platforms that caused mental distress to a teenager, awarding her family $3 million in damages, with further punitive damages pending; this marks the first trial verdict in a wave of personal injury lawsuits against tech giants. For organisations, it underscores the risks of product designs prioritising engagement over user safety, particularly for vulnerable groups like youth, potentially exposing them to similar litigation based on internal research revealing known harms. The ruling signals escalating regulatory scrutiny, following a New Mexico verdict against Meta ($375 million), and could influence ongoing federal cases and broader policy demands for accountability in social media design.

A New Mexico jury ruled on March 24, 2026, that Meta violated state consumer protection law by misleading users about platform safety and enabling child sexual exploitation on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, ordering the company to pay $375 million—far below the $2.1 billion sought but the maximum $5,000 per violation for thousands of counts. This landmark verdict underscores organisational risks of prioritising profits over user safety, particularly in protecting vulnerable children from predators, as Meta ignored internal warnings of up to 500,000 daily child exploitation cases. It signals escalating regulatory scrutiny on big tech, potentially influencing similar lawsuits (e.g., ongoing in California) and prompting stricter compliance with consumer protection laws globally.