The Download: failed social media bans, and extending pets’ lives

This is today's edition of The Download, our weekday newsletter that provides a daily dose of what's going on in the world of technology.

Kids are outsmarting social media bans. That’s not a problem we need to solve.  

—Michal Luria, Aliya Bhatia, and Danah Boyd

Social media bans are stacking up. In July, France joined Australia in restricting minors from accessing social media—barring children under 15 from major platforms, before the ban was blocked by the country’s top court on human rights grounds. 

The UK aims to forbid kids under 16 from accessing Facebook, TikTok, and other platforms in early 2027, and the EU has announced its own plan to prohibit social media for kids under 15.

But early lessons from Australia, which enacted a ban in 2024, show that these sorts of age restrictions are easily circumvented. 

Here’s what we ought to do instead to keep kids safe. 

Can’t bear to say goodbye to your pet? Biotech’s got you covered.

—Jessica Hamzelou

I don’t remember much about Peppy, my first and only pet cat. What I do vividly remember, though, is the day she went missing. I was 10 years old, and I searched everywhere for her, scouting nearby fields and woods until sunset. I made posters. We never found her. I was devastated.

Almost 30 years later, pet owners have an expanding set of options to potentially prolong their years with their furry companions. The possibilities include drugs, cloning, and even cryonics. But is that a good thing?

The must-reads

I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology.

1 Insurance is the next big obstacle for AI 
AI companies are racking up billions of dollars of legal liabilities from the damage their products cause. (WSJ $)
+ The FTC has sent subpoenas to OpenAI and Anthropic over consumer harms. (Axios)
+ AI hacks leave a mess, and AI companies still aren’t cleaning them up. (Wired $)
+ Who’s liable when AI agents go rogue? (MIT Technology Review)

5 Big Tech gave Trump $92 million for his ballroom 
Meanwhile the president himself won’t be spending a dime. (WP $)

9 The world’s official timekeepers have agreed to ditch the leap second  
It’s a move that ought to cut the risk of time-based computer glitches. (The Guardian)

10 Tesla has finally unveiled its flying car 
It’s taken a decade to get here—and still won’t even be shipping next year. (CNBC)

Quote of the day

“Tech companies used to make an effort to support women...Now we've swung completely in the opposite direction. Supporting women in tech has become controversial. It's become political. It's become risky.”

—Startup founder Sara Mauskopt explains why the cancellation of the Grace Hopper Celebration, one of the biggest gatherings of women in tech, hits so hard, Bloomberg reports. 

One More Thing

Inside the experimental world of animal infrastructure

In the mid-2000s, toads were meeting a gruesome end near Ede, a leafy old town in the Netherlands. Residents responded by building wildlife tunnels beneath the road to help them reach their breeding ponds safely.

The crossings became popular. But a few years later, researchers found the local toad population had crashed from more than 10,000 to fewer than 1,000.

The case reflects a wider global push to build wildlife crossings and other forms of “animal infrastructure.” But do they actually help animal populations recover? Read the full story to find out.

—Matthew PonsfordWe can still have nice things