Britain’s upper house of parliament voted on Wednesday in favour of banning under-16s from using social media, raising pressure on the government to match a similar ban passed in Australia.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Monday he was not ruling out any options and pledged action to protect children, but his government wants to wait for the results of a consultation due this summer before legislating.

Calls have risen across the opposition and within the governing Labour party for the UK to follow Australia, where under-16s have been barred from social media applications since December 10.

The amendment from opposition Conservative lawmaker John Nash passed with 261 votes to 150 in the House of Lords, co-sponsored by a Labour and a Liberal Democrat peer.

“Tonight, peers put our children’s future first,” Nash said. “This vote begins the process of stopping the catastrophic harm that social media is inflicting on a generation.”

Before the vote, Downing Street said the government would not accept the amendment, which now goes to the Labour-controlled lower House of Commons. More than 60 Labour MPs have urged Starmer to back a ban.

Public figures, including actor Hugh Grant, urged the government to back the proposal, saying parents alone cannot counter social media harms.

Some child-protection groups warn that a ban would create a false sense of security.

A YouGov poll in December found 74% of Britons supported a ban. The Online Safety Act requires secure age verification for harmful content.

Blake Lively privately reached out to Ben Affleck in 2024 to voice serious concerns about her experience working with Justin Baldoni, newly unsealed court documents reveal, shedding fresh light on the escalating legal battle surrounding It Ends With Us.

The email, along with text messages involving Taylor Swift and deposition statements from Jenny Slate and Isabela Ferrer, is now part of the growing paper trail tied to Lively’s lawsuit.

According to the documents, Lively emailed Affleck on May 17, 2024, describing what she called one of the worst experiences of her career. 

She made it clear the message came with “zero pressure,” but explained she was seeking feedback on her own edit of the film after what she characterised as months of turmoil behind the scenes. 

“I’ve just come out the other side (well almost) of the most upsetting experience I’ve ever had on a movie,” she wrote, adding that the story behind the production was more dramatic than the film itself.

In the same message, Lively claimed she rewrote and restructured the entire script and effectively directed the movie through what she referred to as a “chaotic clown ‘director’/actor/producer/financier/studio head at the center,” stressing it was “all the same person.” 

She went on to allege serious internal issues, including “wild HR issues and beyond,” and described being placed in a last-minute editing “bake off” after Baldoni had been working on his version for months.

Lively asked Affleck if he would be willing to watch the film and offer notes, even welcoming feedback from his family while flagging the movie’s domestic violence themes. 

Emphasising how much the project had cost her emotionally, she wrote, “This movie nearly killed me,” adding that she could think of few people whose insight she trusted more.

She also mentioned that Ryan Reynolds had asked Matt Damon to watch the film, jokingly marveling at the idea of “Jason Bourne” seeing her work, while expressing gratitude for what she called “good men showing up.”

The email surfaced amid Lively’s broader legal claims filed in December 2024, in which she accused Baldoni of sexual harassment and a coordinated effort to damage her reputation. 

Baldoni has denied the allegations, with his legal team calling them false, and his countersuit was dismissed earlier this year.

The newly released documents offer a deeper look at how isolated and overwhelmed Lively says she felt as the conflict unfolded behind closed doors.

Zendaya might dominate this year with an impressive slate of blockbuster projects on the horizon.

The 29-year-old American actress and singer is heading into a packed 2026 that could define the biggest year of her career yet with the release of Euphoria Season 3, her fourth Spider-Man film and Dune: Part Three.

The Golden Globe Award winner will make her long-awaited return as Rue Bennett in the upcoming final season of HBO’s hit series Euphoria.

It is pertinent to note that the show’s full-length official trailer racked up a record-breaking 100 million views in just 48 hours since its release on January 14.

The sky-high response has fans speculating about just how massive viewership will be once the full season begins streaming.

Euphoria Season 3 release date

Euphoria Season 3 is scheduled to premiere on April 12, with several major changes.

The story will feature a five-year time jump, moving the characters beyond high school and into early adulthood.

In addition to Sydney Sweeney and Jacob Elordi’s return, the new season also boasts an expanded cast of high-profile guest stars, including Sharon Stone, Rosalía, Natasha Lyonne, and Eli Roth.

Spider-Man: Brand New Day release date

Zendaya has reportedly wrapped filming on Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which is set to hit theaters on July 31, 2026.

The film marks her fourth appearance in the Marvel franchise alongside her fiancé Tom Holland, following Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Far From Home (2019), and No Way Home (2021).

Dune: Part Three release date

Closing out the year, Zendaya will return to the sands of Arrakis in Dune 3, expected to release in December 2026.

The film serves as the final installment in Denis Villeneuve’s trilogy and adapts Frank Herbert’s Dune Messiah, exploring the darker consequences of Paul Atreides’ rise to power.

The cast includes returning stars Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya, among others.

With leading roles across some of the biggest franchises in entertainment, Zendaya’s 2026 lineup positions her for a comeback and a career peak.