New internet rules enforced from today – but this grieving mother is sceptical they will work

Published

3 months ago

July 25, 2025

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“People always think: ‘Oh, that’s not going to happen to me, it’s not going to happen to my child,'” says Ellen Roone.

She’s sitting in her peaceful garden in Cheltenham, bumblebees trundling around in the bushes behind her.

“I didn’t expect it to be my child.”

Jools, Ellen’s son, was 14 years old when he took his life in 2022. It’s thought he had been watching harmful content online when he died.

Ellen was the one who found him.

Jools was funny, into martial arts – in fact, he was a black belt in kung fu at just 10 years old – and he was popular.

This weekend, his school friends are all heading to Ellen’s house to help her mark what should be his 18th.

They come every year to celebrate his birthday, and there are signs of how loved he is all over the house – pictures, a small wooden dinghy painted red in the garden, his name written down the side in curly script.

When Jools passed away, Ellen became part of a small but growing group of parents in the UK whose children have died after seeing harmful content on the internet.

Today, Ofcom, the communications regulator, begins enforcing new rules to protect the UK’s children online.

The new rules mean “highly effective” age verification systems must be in place on pornographic content, and social media algorithms must be altered to stop harmful content popping up on young people’s feeds.

But Ellen, and many of the bereaved parents she campaigns with, aren’t satisfied – for them, the rules don’t go far enough.

“At the moment, you’ve got massive gaps still where it’s not safe,” she says.

“Online platforms are having to do age verification. Is that going to work? Children are quite clever. They find loopholes of how to get around these things.”

She’s not alone in her scepticism.

More than a hundred miles away in a Warrington youth club, a group of 15 teenagers have given up one of their first afternoons of summer holidays to talk about what they’ve seen online.

When asked if they’ve seen harmful or inappropriate content online, one of them, a 17-year-old called Amy, replies: “More than I can count.”

When she describes the things she has been sent or scrolled through on social media, it’s clear she’s not exaggerating.

Ryan, another 17-year-old, nonchalantly describes the internet as a “very, very malicious place”.

“If you’re going into an online space and you’re expecting simplicity and everything to be nice and tame, you’re going in quite naive,” he says.

Lucas and his twin brother are just 12 years old and even they’ve seen language that “can be quite explicit for children around my age”, he says.

But the young people here at Warrington Youth Zone aren’t all convinced these new rules are going to make a difference.

Many of them assume their peers will just find ways around the content controls.

“If people are that determined to have an over-18s account, nothing is really going to stop them,” says 15-year-old Freya.

Peter Kyle, the technology secretary, is more optimistic.

“This is a moment where the safety of children online is going to take the biggest step forward since the creation of the internet,” he told Sky News.

“Finally, we [have] platforms who are having to verify people’s age before they access material and there will be very steep sanctions if material finds its way into children’s hands and it is inappropriate,” he says.

He’s proud of these new regulations; they are the first of their kind in this country.

Not only are there much stricter rules in place, Ofcom, the communications regulator, also has significant powers if companies don’t comply.

It can impose fines of up to £18m or 10% of revenue and, in very serious cases, stop sites operating in the UK, all in the name of cleaning up the internet “cesspit” he says the UK’s children have become used to.

“It is indistinguishable for them as to what’s going to come up next [in their feeds].

“They don’t know whether it’s going to be something healthy that they want to see or whether it is something criminally violent or exploitative or damaging.”

There’s plenty of cynicism about these new rules.

Some people are suspicious about privacy. “Highly effective” age verification can include bank or ID checks or even AI tools that estimate people’s ages.

The chief executive of Yoti, one of the companies now offering these age-checking tools, says he would be “out of business” if he didn’t look after users’ data.

Robin Tombs added: “Over time, people will get comfortable [and] trust that if it is well-regulated, you can do this with privacy.”

Others worry that more teenagers will end up being criminalised.

Marcus Johnstone, a lawyer who specialises in sexual crimes, says: “You’re not going to be able to stop teenagers watching pornography.”

“The schools, the colleges they’re at, everybody’s watching pornography so they will want access to that.

“It will result in criminalisation of more young people because they will want to find that material and if it’s not available on the easy access sites where they might find it now, then they will go on to the illegal sites.”

Ofcom’s response to that concern was that these rules are about creating societal change as much as technological blocks on content.

“It’s about what we as a society say is normal for our online experiences,” says Jessica Smith, online safety principal at the regulator.

Others, like Ellen, want the rules to go much further.

She supports an all-out ban of under-18s on social media, saying an Australia-style ban of under-16s doesn’t go far enough.

“At 16, you’re still quite naive and young. I remember thinking I was very mature at 16. Looking back, I really wasn’t,” she says.

Peter Kyle, while celebrating the new rules, is realistic.

“I am not telling every parent out there that [from today], every single corner of the internet is going to be safe for their kids to be on, or that some content won’t slip through.

“But what I am saying is that I am expecting a step change in children’s experience.

“They will notice the difference. For the first time since the creation of the internet, parents and children will notice a difference in their online experience.”

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK.

UK

‘Victory for Virginia’, says family of Prince Andrew’s accuser – as royal gives up all his titles

Published

2 hours ago

October 18, 2025

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'Victory for Virginia', says family of Prince Andrew's accuser - as royal gives up all his titles

The family of Virginia Giuffre has said Prince Andrew’s decision to give up his titles, including the Duke of York, is “vindication for our sister and survivors everywhere”.

“This is not just a victory for her, but for every single survivor of the horrific crimes perpetrated by [Jeffrey] Epstein and his co-conspirators,” they said in a statement.

Andrew will no longer be known as the Duke of York, in a move which finally completes his banishment from royal life. However, he will remain a prince, as the son of Queen Elizabeth II.

His former wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also no longer use her title of The Duchess of York, it is understood.

In a statement, Prince Andrew said: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.

“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.

“As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

Why is this happening now?

The decision comes following increased pressure on Prince Andrew after continuing reports of his relationship with paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein, and his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.

The posthumous memoir of Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, is due to be released on Tuesday. She had accused Andrew of sexual assault, and sued him in August 2021.

The book will go on sale a week after an email emerged showing Andrew told Epstein “we are in this together”, three months after he said he had stopped contact with the convicted sex offender.

On Friday evening, the US House Oversight Committee also released documents from Epstein’s estate showing “Prince Andrew” listed as a passenger on the financier’s private jet – the so-called Lolita Express – from Luton to Edinburgh in 2006, alongside Ghislaine Maxwell.

He was also listed on another flight to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000.

The flight logs have been reported on for years but the release may have added to pressure.

“The situation has become untenable and intolerable, and this week in particular, the tipping point had been reached,” said Sky News royal correspondent Laura Bundock.

What is Prince Andrew giving up?

Prince Andrew is giving up his Duke of York title
His knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO)
His Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter
Christmas with the Royal Family at Sandringham
He had already stopped using his HRH title and and was stripped of military patronages by the Queen in 2022
He will retain his dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, but will not use it
He will also remain a prince as he was born the son of Elizabeth II

It is understood the changes will take effect immediately, with the Giuffre family calling for the King to go further and “remove the title of Prince”.

King ‘glad’ of the outcome

The King is glad of the outcome, it is understood, and the decision was taken in close consultation with His Majesty and other members of the Royal Family.

Andrew will continue to be known as Prince Andrew and will remain living at the Windsor Estate at the Royal Lodge.

The move does not impact the position of his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie.

For the second year running, he is not expected to attend the Royal Family’s annual Christmas celebrations at Sandringham.

‘An unwelcome distraction’

Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills said: “This is quite an extraordinary move. I think it shows that, actually, things had gone too far.

“Prince Andrew, and allegations about him and Virginia Giuffre, were continuing to be too much of a distraction for the Royal Family.”

Jack Royston, chief royal correspondent at Newsweek, told Sky News: “This does not go far enough.”

There should be an acknowledgement from the Royal Family, he said, “irrespective of whether Prince Andrew denies the substantive allegations against him [that] it was morally wrong for him to grovel to Jeffrey Epstein”.

The Guardian’s former royal correspondent Stephen Bates also told Sky News: “He’s shown no sign of any sort of contrition. He continues to deny all the allegations against him. And he speaks of his duty to the family. Well, it’s a bit late to be thinking about that.”

What is Prince Andrew accused of?

Prince Andrew has denied allegations made by Ms Giuffre – one of Epstein’s victims – of sexual assault.

She had filed a civil lawsuit against him, accusing him of sexually assaulting her on three occasions after she was introduced to him by Epstein.

In a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, Andrew said he had no knowledge of ever meeting Ms Giuffre, claiming a well-known image of them together had been doctored.

The case was settled outside court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.

Following Ms Giuffre’s death in April, aged 41, her family said she “lost her life to suicide” at her farm in Western Australia.

Giuffre’s family: ‘Victory for Virginia’

In a statement, the family of Ms Giuffre said they supported Andrew’s decision but repeated accusations that he had made misleading statements. Andrew has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Analysis: Prince Andrew giving up titles was clearly not entirely his decision

It is extraordinary that it has come to this but the distraction had to stop.

The statement comes straight from Prince Andrew, the tone of it very personal as he says he is putting his “duty to my family and country first”.

But this was clearly not entirely his decision.

From the first sentence, where he says “in discussion with the King”, we’re left in no doubt that his brother must have said enough was enough.

UK

Prince Andrew giving up titles was clearly not entirely his decision

Published

2 hours ago

October 18, 2025

admin

Prince Andrew giving up titles was clearly not entirely his decision

It is extraordinary that it has come to this but the distraction had to stop.

The statement comes straight from Prince Andrew, the tone of it very personal as he says he is putting his “duty to my family and country first”.

But this was clearly not entirely his decision.

From the first sentence, where he says “in discussion with the King”, we’re left in no doubt his brother must have said enough was enough.

The fact we’re being guided that the King is glad of this outcome says it all; for the monarch and the wider family, the questions of what they were going to do about Andrew had to stop.

After years of upset caused by his association with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, he has done the family one favour by personally announcing that he will no longer use his titles.

For the King to forcibly remove them would have taken up precious parliamentary time and weeks of column inches.

To be clear, his titles aren’t removed, they remain extant but inactive like his HRH title.

But Andrew won’t use them any more, and that will be humiliation enough for a man who has already been stripped of his military affiliations, his charity patronages and his ability to have any kind of public profile.

This ends the questions on what more the monarch could do to show how the family felt about the accusations, the upset and the embarrassment caused.

Will it stop the stories, the allegations and the interest in Prince Andrew? That is far less certain.

But in what is his first public statement since that ill-fated Newsnight interview in 2019, it is striking that he signs it off by saying: “I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”

UK

Everything we know about Prince Andrew’s titles decision

Published

2 hours ago

October 18, 2025

admin

Everything we know about Prince Andrew's titles decision

Prince Andrew has announced he is giving up his royal titles, including the Duke of York.

The decision is understood to have been made in close consultation with King Charles and other members of the Royal Family.

Prince Andrew said continued accusations against him were distracting from the King’s work.

He had been accused by Virginia Giuffre, who died in April, of sexual assault. He denies this.

Which titles is he giving up?

Prince Andrew is giving up his Duke of York title. Sky News understands this will be immediate.

He will also give up his knighthood as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) and his Garter role as a Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.

He will retain the dukedom, which can only be removed by an Act of Parliament, but will not use it.

Prince Andrew will also remain a prince, as the son of Queen Elizabeth II.

Why is this happening now?

Ms Giuffre, who was one of billionaire paedophile Jeffrey Epstein’s victims, alleged Prince Andrew sexually assaulted her on three occasions when she was 17, and sued him in 2021.

In her posthumous memoir Nobody’s Girl, due to be published on Tuesday, she alleged he was “entitled” and “believed having sex with me was his birthright”.

Prince Andrew has always denied the allegations.

He has also always claimed that a well-known image of them together was doctored. Before her death, which her family said was by suicide, the case was settled outside of court for a sum believed to have been around £12m.

Ms Giuffre’s posthumous memoir goes on sale a week after an email emerged showing Andrew told Epstein “we are in this together”.

The email was reportedly sent three months after he said he had stopped contact with the convicted sex offender.

He was also listed on another flight to West Palm Beach, Florida, in 2000.

The flight logs have been reported on for years but the release may have added to pressure.

“The situation has become untenable and intolerable, and this week in particular, the tipping point had been reached,” said royal correspondent Laura Bundock.

It is understood that the changes will take effect immediately.

The Giuffre family has called for the King to go further and “remove the title of Prince”.

Prince Andrew’s decision to relinquish his titles also comes following increased pressure over his relationship with an alleged Chinese spy.

Will this affect his ex-wife and daughters?

Sky News understands that Andrew will continue to live at the Windsor Estate at the Royal Lodge. His ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, will also remain living at the Royal Lodge.

But for the second year running, he will not attend the Royal Family’s annual Christmas celebrations at Sandringham, it is understood.

Andrew’s ex-wife will also no longer use her Duchess of York title.

She was dropped by numerous charities last month after it emerged that she wrote to convicted sex offender Epstein, calling him a “supreme friend”, despite publicly disowning him in the media.

The decision over Andrew’s titles will not impact on the position of his daughters, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, it is understood.

Sky News royal correspondent Rhiannon Mills says the move may not stop the influx of negative stories about him.

She said: “This ends the questions on what more the monarch could do to show how the family felt about the accusations, the upset and the embarrassment caused.

“Will it stop the stories, the allegations and the interest in Prince Andrew? That is far less certain. But in what is the prince’s first public statement since that ill-fated Newsnight interview in 2019, it is striking that he signs it off by saying, ‘I vigorously deny the accusations against me’.”

What did Prince Andrew say in his statement?

In his statement, Prince Andrew said: “In discussion with The King, and my immediate and wider family, we have concluded the continued accusations about me distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.

“I have decided, as I always have, to put my duty to my family and country first. I stand by my decision five years ago to stand back from public life.

“With His Majesty’s agreement, we feel I must now go a step further. I will therefore no longer use my title or the honours which have been conferred upon me.

“As I have said previously, I vigorously deny the accusations against me.”