Countries around the world, including France, Spain and Malaysia, are planning to follow Australia in enacting a ban on young people using social media. And now the UK is considering moving in the same direction.

These bans have emerged out of concerns about the effects of social media on children’s mental health, and increasing attempts to regulate teenage life. The UK recently brought in a “lifetime” smoking ban for anyone aged 15 or younger.

The potential ban on social media use is often explicitly justified by the support of parents. When announcing her party’s support for the measure, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said she knew “as a parent” that a ban was needed. It is seen as common sense that parents are leading proponents of these bans.

Bans offer two core promises to parents. They offer protection from the perceived harms of social media, and greater simplicity in managing day-to-day life. Rather than parents having to negotiate their child’s social media, parents may believe that once a ban is in place, they can simply say to their children that this behaviour is not allowed.

Official sanction can be used by parents as evidence that society views children’s use of social media as unacceptable. But in order to fulfil these promises, bans would need to be highly effective and socially endorsed. There are strong reasons to think this won’t be the case.

Teenage rebellion

Far from being passive, teenagers are technologically literate, socially networked and highly motivated. Recent UK experience with age verification for certain websites shows how quickly workarounds spread.

Since the passing of the Online Safety Act, the UK has seen a huge surge in downloads of virtual private networks (VPNs). These allow users to register as being from a different country to the one they are physically in. Teenagers may be able to use VPNs to bypass the bans.

They can also circumvent parental controls in less technologically savvy ways. This might mean buying a burner phone from a friend to access social media outside of their parents’ evening restrictions. Anecdotally, there are similar accounts of school children finding workarounds to avoid the increasingly prevalent “pouches” that restrict access to smartphones during the school day.

The larger lesson here is that by forcing behaviour to become covert, parents can often lose oversight of what their children are doing.

These examples are not too different to traditional tricks to get around social bans, like having a fake ID or getting an older friend to purchase cigarettes or alcohol. If parents reflect on their own experiences of teenage life, it may be evident why the act of banning does not eliminate this behaviour – and may even increase its attraction.

Even more importantly, as we also know in relation to alcohol or sexual activity, just because it is prohibited doesn’t take away the necessity of parents having conversations with their children about these topics.

Parents know that even if they harshly sanction their children for underage drinking, their child’s peers may have parents who turn a blind eye, condone alcohol, or supply it themselves. This means that getting teenagers to think about their use is essential – and the same holds true for social media.

Whether there is a ban or not, prohibited teenage behaviour continues. Navigating these risks is an unavoidable part of parenting adolescents.

As we have argued, parenting should be seen less as about achieving specified outcomes, and more as about valuing the individual relationship.

Putting the relationship between parent and child centre-stage means recognising there are different positions on the use and value of social media, and managing those differences successfully.

While digital life is novel and frankly scary to some parents, seeing the issue in a wider context of teenage life – sometimes risky, contested and hidden – makes these new issues more explicable to older generations.

Just as parenting requires understanding why a young person might choose to drink, have sex or use drugs, the case of social media also depends on understanding teenagers’ (online) worlds. This means engaging with the value and benefits of social media, and gaining some understanding of what platforms are being used and their content.

This is not to say that more effective regulation is impossible, just as legal regulation is important for other dangers that children and teenagers face. However, such regulation will not – and cannot – take away parents’ involvement, and its related challenges.

A court has heard how Douglas Rogers was caught beating his girlfriend in the street when he turned his vicious attack on a passer-by

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A woman who desperately called 999 as she witnessed a dangerous thug beat his partner in the street was then subject to a violent attack herself. Douglas Rogers paused his assault on his first victim as he turned on the Good Samaritan and smashed her head with a hammer.

A court has heard how the woman thought she was going to die and “screamed for my life” when Rogers cracked her skull with a hammer, raining down four blows to her head. The wicked abuser has now been jailed for nine years for the violent assaults on both victims, reports Chronicle Live.

The victim recalled how she came across Rogers and his partner, who was terrified with blood on her face, in a scuffle in the street. The woman asked the stranger to call the police, yet as she did so, was punched by Rogers.

As he was sentenced and branded dangerous, she told the court how the attack in Sunderland has left her traumatised and scarred. In a victim impact statement, she said: “I went to help her because I heard her screaming. I was acting as a Good Samaritan and I never thought by helping her I would be in danger.

“I was viciously attacked and I thought I was going to die. I ended up being taken to hospital by ambulance with serious injuries to my head.

“(A child) saw me being attacked with a hammer, being hit repeatedly in the head and screaming for my life.”

She added that she now has tinnitus, suffers daily constant headaches, has PTSD, some of her scars are visible due to hair loss in those areas and she is anxious and conscious about that. She told the court: “I think about this attack and how it’s affected me every day and I have flashbacks.

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“This has not only impacted me but my family. My mam thought she was going to lose her child.

“I can’t live my life like I did before the attack. Every day I look in the mirror and see the scars, the scars I got for being a Good Samaritan.

“I didn’t do anything to the girl but try to help her. I did nothing to the man who attacked me, I don’t know why he attacked me.

“He was so calm while hitting me numerous times with the hammer. I never thought by helping someone I could end up being the victim of a serious assault.”

The court heard Rogers had been in a relationship with the first victim for around a year. On Saturday September 27 last year, having called at a pub, when they got home she said he “seemed a bit off” with her, as if he wanted an argument. He went into the kitchen and the woman heard a smash and saw a bowl had been broken on the floor and Rogers was angry.

She removed items, including her father’s motorbike helmet, and took them to the bathroom, fear he would cause further damage. Rogers followed her and punched her to the face and side then hit the helmet with a hammer on a number of occasions before taking her phone and hitting that with a hammer, smashing it.

The court heard the victim was terrified, crying and screaming as he waved the hammer towards her then used it to smash a TV. The woman ran to the front door but couldn’t get it open and Rogers pinned her against a wall using his forearm across her throat with so much force she couldn’t breathe properly and felt that if she moved, her neck would crack.

She screamed for help but Rogers put his hand over her mouth to stop her. The woman then seized an opportunity to run out of the house but he followed her and there was a tussle in the street.

The second victim then walked out of a bike lane and asked what was going on. Rogers’ partner, who had blood on her face, asked her to call police and she did so.

Andrew Walker, prosecuting, said: “While she was on the phone to the police, the defendant punched her to the face, causing her to stumble. She then saw him go to a nearby house and he emerged carrying a hammer.

“He then approached her and hit her about four times to the head with the hammer.”

The woman was taken to hospital by ambulance and was found to have an open depressed fracture to the right side of her skull along with a number of lacerations to her head caused by the hammer.

Rogers, then went on to smash his then-partner’s car window and windscreen with the hammer, pleaded guilty to wounding with intent, strangulation, battery, two counts of criminal damage and possessing an offensive weapon.

The court heard the 49-year-old has 25 previous convictions, including for wounding with intent in 2005 and wounding in 2019.

Recorder David Brooke KC jailed him for nine years, with an extended licence period of a further four years due to him being dangerous. He told Rogers he is “high risk” and said: “These are very bad offences indeed and they are set against a background of an appalling record for violence. This was a disgraceful incident.

“I hope you are thoroughly ashamed of yourself. She went merely to help someone who was in distress and you responded by attacking her in a horrible way, striking her four times to the head, causing a depressed fracture to her skull.”

Christopher Morrison, defending, said Rogers is “extremely sorry and remorseful”, apologises for his actions and has mental health issues.

Italian justice undersecretary Andrea Delmastro has resigned after it emerged he had held a stake in a restaurant linked to the mafia.

His departure was one of two resignations in Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government on Tuesday, after a referendum to reform the country’s judiciary was defeated.

Mr Delmastro, who is a member of Ms Meloni’s Brothers of Italy Party, held a stake in a Rome restaurant alongside the daughter of a man convicted of having ties with Camorra, a mafia group based in Naples.

Mr Delmastro said he had sold his stake when he learned that his 18-year-old business partner’s father, Andrea Caroccia, had been linked to the organisation.

However, a 2023 photo showing him alongside Caroccia later emerged, suggesting the two men knew each other well.

It also came to light that he did not disclose his stake to parliament.

“I have ​always fought crime and achieved concrete, important results,” Mr Delmastro said.

“Although I did nothing wrong, ⁠I made an error of judgment, which I corrected as soon as I became aware of it. I take responsibility for that”.

Along with Mr Delmastro, the justice ministry’s chief of staff, Giusi Bartolozzi, also stepped down on Tuesday.

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Ms Bartolozzi resigned after she controversially urged voters to back the reform so Italy could “get rid ‌of” a judiciary she described as a “firing ​squad”.

The departures added to the political turmoil after the referendum to reform Italy’s judiciary failed on Monday, in the first significant defeat for Ms Meloni and her right-wing coalition.

In a brief statement, Ms Meloni accepted the ​resignations of both officials, and, in an unusual move, also called on her tourism minister Daniela Santanche “to make the same choice”.

Ms Santanche was ordered to stand trail last year on charges of false accounting related to a publishing group she used to own.

She has resisted calls to quit since then, and had enjoyed Ms Meloni’s support.

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The shake-up suggests Ms Meloni is seeking to reassert control by containing the political damage, and signalling she can still act decisively after voters rejected the landmark reforms.

Both Ms Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio have resisted calls that they should also resign after 54% of Italians rejected the proposal to modernise the country’s judiciary.

Denmark’s centre-left prime minister has said she wants to stay in her job after inconclusive election results left the country facing weeks of coalition talks.

Mette Frederiksen has been seen by some in Britain’s Labour government as a role model for success, especially concerning her tough approach to immigration.

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But her Social Democrats have been left bruised from the left and the right after a campaign dominated by the cost of living, which has proved damaging for incumbent leaders around the world in recent years.

She had called an early election for Tuesday hoping her handling of foreign affairs – notably the crisis sparked by Donald Trump’s ambitions for Greenland – would see voters place their trust in her again.

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What are the results?

While her party is again the largest on 21.9% of the vote, it’s well down on the 27.5% secured in 2022.

Tuesday’s vote leaves the Social Democrats with 38 seats in the 179-seat parliament.

Denmark’s Green party, to the prime minister’s left, won 11.6% of the vote and 20 seats.

The centre-right Liberal Party and Liberal Alliance won 18 seats (10.1%) and 16 seats (9.4%) respectively.

The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party won 9.1% of the vote and 16 seats – its vote share up 7% on last time.

With the left nor the right securing enough votes to form a coalition, it could leave the Moderates party – firmly in the centre ground – as kingmakers.

Led by foreign minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, a former PM, it won 14 seats.

It was part of the 2022-2026 coalition, with the Social Democrats and Liberal Party.

Coalition talks to commence

Ms Frederiksen said she was ready to stay on, saying Denmark “needs a stable government” in an “unsettled” world amid war in Europe and the Middle East.

“We are ready to take the lead,” she added.

Mr Rasmussen echoed the PM’s call for stability, saying Denmark – a NATO and EU member – “is a small country of six million people”, and “we must come together”.

But Liberal Party leader Troels Lund Poulsen, the defence minister, has indicated he will not go into coalition with the Social Democrats again.

Coalition governments are the norm in Denmark, like many other European countries, and there will now be weeks of negotiations about the make-up of the next administration.

What were the key issues?

Ms Frederikson has been PM since 2019. Now 48, she was the country’s youngest ever leader when first elected.

She defended her record during the campaign, citing having to deal with the pandemic, war in Ukraine, and being “threatened by the American president”.

But domestic issues like the cost of living and beyond were front and centre for voters, while she has been squeezed from the left and right.

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Ms Frederikson has overseen one of the toughest approaches to migration in Europe, with refugee status temporary, ⁠conditional support and expectations of integration in society.

Some on the left believe she’s been much too tough, but the Danish People’s Party leader Morten Messerschmidt increased his support with a pledge to ensure net zero migration of Muslims.

On the economy, Ms Frederiksen had sought to enhance her leftist credentials with a wealth tax proposal – one of the policies which drove a wedge between her and Liberal leader Mr Poulsen.

Engineers are working at the scene after the issue at Bolton station

Passengers are being warned to expect a day of disruption affecting trains at Bolton. No services are able to run between Bolton and Preston this morning (March 25) – affecting several Northern and TransPennine Express routes between Lancashire and Manchester.

The issue has been caused by damage to the overhead lines between Bolton and Lostock, according to National Rail. It says passengers are likely to see major disruption throughout the day.

A spokesperson for National Rail said: “Damage to the overhead wires between Bolton and Lostock means that all lines are blocked between these stations. Trains are unable to run between Bolton and Preston until the damage has been repaired.

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“Trains scheduled to run between these stations will divert via an alternative route, resulting in delays of up to 30 minutes. Some services may also be cancelled or revised to reduce congestion whilst trains are diverting. Major disruption is expected until the end of the day.”

The issue is affecting Northern services between Manchester Airport and Blackpool North, Manchester Victoria and Clitheroe, Manchester Airport and Barrow-in-Furness, Manchester Victoria and Southport, and Wigan Wallgate and Stalybridge. Diversions will be in place on these routes, meaning passengers will be delayed throughout the day.

Rail replacement buses are running from Bolton to Manchester Piccadilly at 8am, and from Preston to Manchester Piccadilly at 8.15am, calling at all stations. TransPennine Express services from Scotland to Manchester will also be unable to call at Bolton.

Network Rail staff are on site investigating the issue. A spokesperson for Network Rail in Manchester posted on X: “Due to a track fault in the Bolton area lines are currently blocked.

“Our engineers are working on a fix and will get you on the move asap. This affects services between Preston and Wigan and Preston to Manchester. Check your journey.”

Pickering Town CIC (PTCIC) are leading the bid with support from Beck Isle Museum, St Peter and St Paul’s Church, Ryedale Festival, English Heritage and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Carrie Brackstone, PTCIC Operations Manager said: “The deadline was tight but we quickly managed to draw a good bunch of creatives and volunteers from the Town into a workshop to ask them what ‘their story’ of Pickering would be in order to form the bid. The workshop was a tremendous success with representation from Beck Isle Museum, Pickering Memorial Hall, Ryedale Festival, Kirk Theatre, Pickering Book Tree, Pickering Castle and Pickering Rocks.

“Pickering has a wealth of creative talent and a strong ethos of community volunteering. Over the past three years, we have proved as a small Town that we can make big things happen on a shoe-string; imagine what we could achieve if we were given a bigger budget!

“We also have some brilliant venues in our Town; a heritage railway, a motte and bailey Castle, our Church with its beautiful wall-paintings and a cosy theatre venue. We also have our Market Place which we close twice a year to host larger events like Pickering 1940s Weekend and Pickering Rocks.”

Joy Andrews, North Yorkshire Councillor for Pickering added: “Pickering is a small Town that packs a mighty punch. In many ways, our rural location has given us an advantage as our local musicians and artists have had to hone their skills independent of any formal training. This is evidenced by the thriving live music scene in Pickering and the proliferation of Art Groups at our Memorial Hall. Pickering talent is abundant and home-grown and with support from the PTCIC volunteers, the sky is the limit.”

The route had been closed in both directions between the A67 at Bowes, County Durham, and the A685 at Brough, Cumbria, due to safety concerns amid blustery conditions on Tuesday (March 24).

RESTRICTIONS IN PLACE#A66 in both directions between the #A67 (#Bowes, #CountyDurham) and #A685 (#Brough, #Cumbria).

ROAD CLOSED TO HIGH-SIDED VEHICLES

Due to strong winds.

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The Met Office forecast wind speeds likely to reduce late morning/early afternoon. pic.twitter.com/iDCN6uNX0K

— National Highways: North-East (@HighwaysNEAST) March 24, 2026

In an update on Wednesday (March 25), National Highways North East said wind speeds had now eased sufficiently to lift the restrictions.

A spokesperson said: “A66 has reopened to high-sided vehicles in both directions between A67 (Bowes, County Durham) and A685 (Brough, Cumbria).

Wind speeds have decreased, allowing the lifting of restrictions. We’ll continue to monitor wind speeds and will advise if things change.”

The closure initially came as unsettled weather continued across the region, with the Met Office warning of a sharp drop in temperatures in the coming days.

Forecasters say daytime highs could fall into single digits by midweek, with colder nights and the potential for wintry conditions in some areas, particularly further north.

Motorists are still being advised to take care, as conditions remain changeable with frequent showers and gusty winds expected to persist.

Karen Maidment began her career at the airport in 1981 and took up a permanent post in 1985, before starting her shift in the control tower in 1990.

During her time with the team, she worked her way up to become Head of Air Traffic Services, though her Type 1 diabetes prevented her from qualifying as a full air traffic controller under historic health regulations.

Karen Maidment, who has celebrated 40 years working at Teesside International Airport Picture by Tom Banks (Image: Tom Banks)

She said: “Watching people progress has been so rewarding and fulfilling – and there aren’t many people who get that in a job.

“Watching them go from strength to strength to become marvellous, and safe, Air Traffic Controllers makes me so proud of them – and they should be proud of themselves.

“It’s been marvellous – and I’d recommend this job to anybody.”

Ms Maidment, originally from Fairfield in Stockton, started out on the airport’s information desk before moving into air traffic.

She eventually stepped back from her leadership role in 2024 but continued to support the team with her experience until her retirement in March.

Phil Forster, managing director of Teesside Airport, said: “Karen has been a titan of the Air Traffic team.

“It’s been a privilege to work alongside her and get to know her during my time here – the guidance, support, knowledge, expertise and friendship she’s offered at the airport and in the tower across more than four decades has been invaluable.

“She’ll be sorely missed but on behalf of the entire airport team, I’d like to wish her a long and happy retirement.”

Ms Maidment met her husband Gary at the airport in 2005.

He is now Teesside Airport’s longest-serving Air Traffic Engineer.

During her long career, she waved off Princess Diana and Concorde from Teesside.

Ben Houchen, Tees Valley mayor, said: “Karen has been at the heart of the airport through huge changes – helping us grow and supporting generations of people around her in our Air Traffic Control Tower.

“We owe Karen a huge thank you for everything she’s done, and she leaves behind a lasting legacy at our airport.

“I wish her all the very best for a well-earned and happy retirement.”

Ms Maidment marked 40 years with the airport team last year and finally hung up her headphones for the last time on Saturday, March 21.

The properties were refused unanimously

Two houses in South Belfast have been stripped of their HMO status after their landlords failed to follow correct procedure.

At the March meeting of the Belfast City Council Licensing Council, elected representatives refused HMO applications for 41 Claremont Street, between University Road and Lisburn Road and 32 Flat B Candahar Street, off the Ormeau Road. Both were refused unanimously on the basis of overprovision.

The Claremont Street property previously had an HMO licence issued by the council with a start date of December 2 2020, and an expiry date of December 2 2025. The ownership of the property transferred to Emma Convery from her father on May 2 2021.

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The council report on the application says it “was not made aware of the change of ownership at that time.” In accordance with council policy the licence in the name of the previous owner ceased to have effect on the date of transfer.

An application for a new HMO licence was received from Emma Convery on November 29 last year. An application for a Temporary Exemption Notice was received on December 3 last year and granted until June 8.

On the date of assessment, February 18 this year, 97 percent of all dwelling units in the policy area “Fitzwilliam” were made up of HMOs and other intensive forms of accommodation apartments – well above the 20 percent development limit. There are 74 licensed HMOs with a capacity of 363 persons in the area.

Ms Convery told the committee: “Yes the name wasn’t right for several years, but this was unknown to me that I had to change the name. I was told that it was okay until I had to renew the licence.

“This property is used to house post-graduate health care professionals such as doctors, nurses, midwifery staff and other members of health care teams. I have never had any problems with this property, and it is quite a pleasure to rent out.

“This is the only property we do rent out. I believe in providing affordable accommodation to those close to our hospitals in Belfast.” She added: “I have spent a lot of money trying to get it to this point, and I will be very disappointed if I wasn’t re-awarded the HMO licence.”

The Candahar Street property previously had an HMO licence issued by the council with a start date of January 11 2021, and an expiry date of January 11 2026, in the name of the existing owner Norton Cross Ltd.

A reminder letter was sent to the owner on December 3 last year informing them that they were required to renew the HMO licence before the expiry of the existing licence on January 11 this year. They missed the expiry date, and an application for a new HMO licence was received at the council from Norton Cross Ltd on January 23. A Temporary Exemption Notice was granted until April 27.

On March 2 2026, 26 percent of all dwelling units in policy area “Ballynafeigh” were made up of HMOs and intensive forms of accommodation apartments, which in turn exceeded the 20 percent development limit as set out in policy.

An agent for the property owner told the committee: “This was a simple mistake. I have a spreadsheet with all my HMOs on it, and I have a very good staff, who don’t make many mistakes, but they put in the date December 15 2026 for the renewal, instead of January. It was a simple typographical error.” He said the penalty “didn’t fit the crime.”

Houses of Multiple Occupation, also known as a “house-share” residencies, which landlords lease out to three or more tenants from different addresses, have become increasingly controversial, with some arguing they have negatively affected communities and led to anti-social behaviour in places like the Holylands and Stranmillis in South Belfast, where landlords pack houses with undergraduates and others.

Applications for new HMO licences have increased in other parts of the city in recent years. A series of applications have been refused across the city, but many applicants are successfully appealing the decisions via the Planning Appeals Commission.

HMO licence renewal cannot be refused on the basis of overprovision of such properties in an area, but new licences can be refused on this basis.

While the council policy is that HMO’s should not account for more than 20 percent of any area of housing management, in reality many streets exceed this, with some in the Holylands reaching over 90 percent. Outside housing policy areas the threshold is 10 percent.

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