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Social media platforms must do more to stop their algorithms from recommending harmful content to children, Ofcom has said.

The regulator has published its draft children’s safety codes of practice laying out the new standards it will expect tech giants to follow to protect children under the Online Safety Act.

But two mothers who believe their children died as a result of copying dangerous social media challenges say they feel “belittled” by Ofcom over its failure to listen to grieving parents.

Sky News has spoken to the mothers of Archie Battersbee, who died aged 12 after a “prank or experiment” went wrong at their home and Isaac Kenevan, 13, who is believed to have died after taking part in a choke challenge on social media.

Undated family handout photo of Archie Battersbee who has died in hospital after weeks of legal battles.
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Archie Battersbee died aged 12. Pic: Family handout/PA

“They should be listening to us as bereaved parents,” said Isaac’s mother Lisa.

“Ofcom have got the power, the policing, and we feel like we’ve been belittled, they’ve said certain things but there’s just no action at the moment.”

Archie’s mother Hollie said: “I’ve seen a handful of parents that are now going through what we’re going through and it’s heartbreaking… in a civilised society, this should not happen.”

When the government passed the Online Safety Act last October, it came with new enforcement powers for Ofcom.

Both Hollie and Lisa campaigned tirelessly to get the bill passed and both are frustrated by how painfully slow the process is proving to be.

Ms Kenevan said: “This law has been put in place but nothing has really changed, which is frustrating for us, it’s almost like an insult to us because we’ve put in so much work.

“It is too late, our boys have gone… but Ofcom should really step up and hold their feet to the fire… step in fast to stop the content being in there in the first place.”

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Taming algorithms

Ofcom’s draft code of conduct includes robust age checks, improved complaints procedures and a commitment from social media platforms to take action to tame algorithms which recommend harmful content to children.

Fail and they could in theory be fined 10% of their global turnover.

Ofcom chief executive Dame Melanie Dawes told Sky News: “In less than a year, we will be able to enforce against these codes and what I’m saying to the tech industry today is don’t wait for that moment.

“Over the next few years, we will see that change and we are going to drive it forward with every possible tool that we’ve got.”

‘Big step change for the industry’

Ofcom denies excluding people from its consultations, insisting victim groups and bereaved families have been among the 15,000 children and 7,000 parents it has already spoken to.

Dame Melanie said: “Those families who’ve lost children through what’s happened to them online, we ask them please do carry on working with us.

“What we’re proposing today is such a big step change for the industry, please work with us and talk to us, so that we can get this right.”

For the parents of Archie and Isaac, ever-present is the dread over how many children remain at risk.

Ms Kenevan said: “While these laws are trying to be put in place unfortunately there are more and more children dying and that’s the most frustrating thing because we’re in a club that we don’t want to be in and we don’t want anyone else joining that club.”

Meanwhile, Brianna Ghey’s mother Esther has told Sky News that mobile phone companies must “take responsibility” for what children view online.

Esther Ghey has campaigned for greater regulation for mobile phone companies, as well as young people’s access to mindfulness therapies, since two teenagers – Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe – were jailed in February for 22 and 20 years respectively for the “exceptionally brutal” murder of 16-year-old Brianna in Warrington.

Ms Ghey said: “It would be great if we could have, at point of purchase, software that helps parents monitor what their children are doing.

“There is software out that can flag up concerning words and then that alerts the parents that the child is looking at self-harm images or searching on the extreme side of it, the things that Scarlett Jenkinson was searching.”

“The parent can then be responsible for their child and do something about it,” Ms Ghey said, who has started a petition in support of her campaign.

Watch the full interview with Esther Ghey on The UK Tonight on Sky News at 8pm on Wednesday.

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Why many assume interest rates will fall further – but no one really has a clue

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Why many assume interest rates will fall further - but no one really has a clue

Let’s deal, first of all, with the question many of you will have: after today’s reduction to 4.25% will there be more interest rate cuts to come?

Today, the Bank of England did nothing to sway you – or the financial markets that bet on such things – from the assumption that after today’s quarter percentage point cut there will be further reductions in the cost of borrowing.

Indeed, right now, financial markets assume the Bank will cut UK interest rates down to 3.5% by early next year, and the Bank didn’t contradict that today.

Money blog: What interest rate cut means for your money

But (this being economics, there’s always a “but”) if there was one theme that overarched the Bank’s latest set of forecasts, it was that it’s becoming fiendishly difficult to predict the future.

Take tariffs. In theory, the Bank thinks they’ll actually be much less damaging than many had assumed, with the total impact not enough to push the UK into recession.

But that’s based on a few important assumptions, chief among them that Donald Trump doesn’t re-impose the reciprocal tariffs announced on 2 April – despite the fact that he’s explicitly said they are only temporarily paused. It was based on the assumption that the UK wouldn’t get a trade deal with the US, an assumption that was already out of date by the time the document was published.

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No one really has a clue

The Bank’s forecasts are, in other words, even more uncertain than usual.

Perhaps that helps explain why the nine members of the Monetary Policy Committee had a rare three-way split in their vote this month, with two members voting to leave rates on hold, two voting to cut them by half a percentage point, and the remaining five carrying the decision and reducing them by 0.25%.

Now, even taking this uncertainty into account, there are a few things one can take from today’s Bank of England news, and the update from its American counterpart, the Federal Reserve, yesterday.

While tariffs are expected to push inflation up in the US, they are expected to push inflation down in the UK. The upshot is while the Federal Reserve is pausing its interest rate cuts, UK rates are coming down.

Every Bank of England forecast is, by definition, a historic document. Such things take time to model and write so, by the time they come out, they are always a little bit out of date. But never has this been more true of a Bank forecast than the one published today.

The big picture, however, is that no one really has a clue. No one knows what Donald Trump will do next. No one knows what the impact of his tariffs will be on the UK or, indeed, elsewhere. No one knows what this all spells for inflation or unemployment.

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VE Day anniversary: Veteran who lost three brothers in Second World War hopes celebrations offer people the chance to ‘learn from history’

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VE Day anniversary: Veteran who lost three brothers in Second World War hopes celebrations offer people the chance to 'learn from history'

A 101-year-old veteran, who has never publicly talked about her wartime experience, wants the VE Day 80th anniversary events to be a chance to reflect on the “unnecessary” conflicts we see today that she says are driven by “pure greed”.

Pauline Alexander was one of five siblings who all served in the Second World War – with three of them among the four family members she lost during the conflict.

She was encouraged to talk about what she went through by her daughter after she saw the Royal British Legion appealing for more surviving veterans to tell their stories.

80 years ago, as Sir Winston Churchill declared there was finally victory in Europe and the celebrations erupted in London, Ms Alexander was in Chelmsford with her mother and sister-in-law.

Sir Winston Churchill announces 'victory in Europe' in 1945
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Sir Winston Churchill announces ‘victory in Europe’ in 1945

“I was at home on leave,” she said.

“We joined in the celebrations, the singing and dancing. It was very exciting. Everyone in Chelmsford had turned out, well those who were still there. But it was very… how can I put it? A feeling of what next… life had changed completely.

“We started [the war] as a family of seven, we ended as three.”

Like so many, Ms Alexander’s war was punctuated by loss.

Her father died while running the family surgical instrument business in 1943, and three of her brothers were killed.

Peter Kipling, an Army dispatch rider, died in a bike accident delivering a message to the war office in London. He was about to be sent to the front in preparation for D-Day.

Guy and Bernard Kipling, who were twins, were both navigators on RAF bombers.

They were shot down in 1941 and 1943, their bodies never came home.

All three are remembered on Peter’s gravestone in Broomfield Cemetery.

Pauline Alexander with her brother Peter Kipling who died before he was due to be sent to the front for D-Day
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Pauline Alexander with her brother Peter Kipling who died before he was due to be sent to the front for D-Day

Pauline Alexander with her brother Guy Kipling who died in the conflict
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Pauline Alexander with her brother Guy Kipling who died in the conflict

Looking at photographs of her brothers, Ms Alexander quietly said: “That’s just how I remember them all, just like that.”

When I asked her how she felt when she heard they had died serving their country, she replied: “In those days of war you just had to accept these things.

“It was bound to happen at some time or other. Bernard served on Whitley bombers, and they were known as flying coffins.”

Ms Alexander’s story about her family, and the clerical work she did in the Women’s Royal Air Force (WRAF) from 1942-1946, including at bomber command at RAF Waddington, only came to light because of the Royal British Legion appeal.

She said she previously just thought: “It was our duty to do what we could and that was life, everyone was losing family… it was just something that happened.

“All part of life and living.”

Children wave flags from the ruins of their homes in Battersea, south London. as they celebrate VE Day. Pic: PA
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Children wave flags from the ruins of their homes in Battersea, south London, as they celebrate VE Day in 1945. Pic: PA

Families fly flags and bunting in the street. Pic: PA
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Families fly flags and bunting in the street on VE Day in 1945. Pic: PA

I asked her how her mother reacted when she said she wanted to sign up.

Ms Alexander replied: “She said yes. It would do me good. I was getting too spoilt at home.”

She added: “If my brothers were in, I had to be in to do my bit too.”

Her mother, Rosa Kipling, was also a remarkable woman.

She lived until 105 and was recognised for bravery in the first honours list to feature MBEs in 1918, after surviving an explosion during the First World War in a munitions factory.

It is no wonder then that her children were all so committed to do their bit.

An elderly woman gets a hug from a sailor in London on VE Day. Pic: AP
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An elderly woman gets a hug from a GI in London on VE Day. Pic: AP

Sky's Rhiannon Mills with Pauline Alexander
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Sky’s Rhiannon Mills with Pauline Alexander

The sense of service and the acceptance of the sacrifices that had to be made now feel more important than ever, especially in the context of ongoing global conflicts.

That was something that Ms Alexander was keen to talk about from her home in March, Cambridgeshire, where she will be watching today’s events.

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Asked why she believes it is so important that we take time to remember today, she said: “Because it’s all part of history, and history is very important, because we learn from history.

“When you think of all the conflicts that are going on now and how it’s all unnecessary in a sense, just pure greed. Because what they went through [in the Second World War] was absolute hell.”

As I reflected with her that they truly are an amazing generation, Ms Alexander simply replied: “Yes, there’ll never be another one like it.”

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King and Queen attend VE Day 80th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey

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King and Queen attend VE Day 80th anniversary service at Westminster Abbey

The King and Queen have paid their respects to Britain’s war dead at a service to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day.

The royal couple were among 2,000 people – including 78 veterans – who attended the ceremony at Westminster Abbey in London.

The thanksgiving service, which included music and readings, paused at midday for a national two-minute silence in memory of those who died.

The King and Queen lead a two minute silence at Westminster Abbey and across the UK
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Poppies surrounded the grave of the Unknown Warrior in the abbey

King Charles lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025.   Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS
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King Charles lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior. Pic: Reuters

The Prince of Wales lays a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Warrior during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025.  Jordan Pettitt/Pool via REUTERS
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Followed by his son, the Prince of Wales. Pic: Reuters

State Trumpeters play a fanfare during a service of thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey
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State trumpeters play a fanfare during the service. Pic: Reuters

Other attendees included the Prince and Princess of Wales, along with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and some of his Downing Street predecessors, including David Cameron and Boris Johnson.

The King laid a wreath, which featured the message “We will never forget”, at the grave of the Unknown Warrior, followed by the Prince of Wales.

William, Prince of Wales, and Catherine, Princess of Wales arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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The Princess and Prince of Wales also paid their respects. Pic: Reuters

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrives at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer were among the dignitaries. Pic: Reuters

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron and his wife arrive at Westminster Abbey to attend the Service of Thanksgiving as part of commemorations for the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day in London, Britain, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Phil Noble
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David Cameron, pictured arriving at the abbey with his wife Samantha, was one of several former prime ministers who attended. Pic: Reuters

At their side, watching from his wheelchair, was veteran Ken Hay, 99, who served in the infantry regiment.

Actor Josh Dylan read a letter from Lance Corporal Fredrick Burgess to his seven-year-old son Freddie, written while he was serving in Italy.

He quoted the serviceman, whose granddaughter Susan was among those in the abbey, as writing: “When I do come home, and it will not be very long now, I’m going to buy you something extra specially nice for being such a good boy.”

The Prince and Princess of Wales and King Charles and Queen Camilla attend a Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey.
Pic: Reuters
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Members of the royal family at the thanksgiving service.
Pic: Reuters

A general view of the Service of Thanksgiving at Westminster Abbey in London on the 80th anniversary of VE Day. Picture date: Thursday May 8, 2025. PA Photo. See PA story MEMORIAL VEDay. Photo credit should read: Aaron Chown/PA Wire
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Pic: PA

RAF veterans Kathleen, 101, and Roy Lawrence, 101, who have been married for 74 years, at the National Memorial Arboretum, ahead of a memorial event hosted by the Royal British Legion to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day, in Alrewas, Staffordshire.
Pic: PA
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RAF veterans Kathleen, 101, and Roy Lawrence, 101, who have been married for 74 years, share a kiss at a VE Day anniversary event in Staffordshire. Pic: PA

Lance Corporal Burgess also described the rain in Italy and how his small tank, which he named Freddie II after his son, had been damaged with a “whacking big hole” by a bomb.

Dylan revealed: “Seven months after writing this letter, Lance Corporal Burgess was killed.”

An excerpt of wartime prime minister Sir Winston Churchill‘s 1945 victory speech, in which he declared the war in Europe was over, was also played.

His great-great-grandson Alexander Churchill, aged 10, lit a peace candle and later read a prayer for “peace in Europe and across the world”.

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