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Apple is making two significant moves at once in its long-running legal battle with Epic Games. The tech giant has proposed a new commission structure while also pushing for both sides to return to the negotiating table. In a new court filing, Apple proposed capping commissions at 15% on purchases made through alternative payment systems in the US. The move follows a period during which Apple charged a 27% commission on those same transactions. That earlier rate had already landed Apple in trouble. Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled it violated a prior court order requiring Apple to let developers direct users toward outside payment options. Epic Games wasted no time responding to the new proposal. The company argued the revised fees still fall far outside what the Ninth Circuit has indicated would be acceptable. The timing of Apple’s filing is notable too. It landed the same day the Supreme Court rejected Apple’s request to pause lower-court proceedings while it separately reviews Gonzalez Rogers’ contempt finding against the company. That rejection means the fee-setting process will continue moving forward in the district court. This holds true regardless of how the higher court eventually rules on the separate contempt issue. Alongside the commission proposal, Apple filed a separate motion asking the court to order both companies into a settlement conference. The session would be overseen by Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Spero. According to the filing, Apple had already proposed this meeting directly to Epic’s legal team on August 11. Epic, however, declined to agree to the arrangement at that time. Despite Epic’s refusal, Apple maintains the court still has the authority to compel the conference. The company points to the fact that the Ninth Circuit itself had previously invited both parties to work toward an agreement on link-out commissions. Apple believes a confidential meeting could help resolve the dispute without further extending the ongoing remand proceedings. Notably, the filing does not include any actual settlement terms, it simply requests a court order mandating the conference take place. With both sides digging in on separate fronts, the long-running dispute between Apple and Epic shows no signs of reaching a resolution anytime soon.

Meta has deactivated 756,000 Australian accounts believed to belong to users under the age of 16. The company confirmed the move on Thursday amid tightening regulations on youth social media use. The total includes 462,000 suspected underage Instagram accounts and 294,000 flagged Facebook accounts. All were removed between December, when the ban first came into effect, and June of this year. To identify these accounts, Meta relied on AI tools designed to scan user activity for contextual clues suggesting an underage user. These included things like birthday celebration posts or references to specific school grades, alongside reports submitted by other users. In an official statement, Meta said enforcement remains ongoing and that these numbers will likely continue rising. The company added that it shares the Australian government’s goal of ensuring safer, age-appropriate online experiences for young people. Meta also stated that it is actively meeting its legal obligations under Australia’s new social media rules. The announcement comes as the company faces mounting scrutiny and potential regulatory action tied to the country’s landmark youth protection laws. There is growing consensus globally that major tech platforms have failed to prioritise child safety in their product design. Features like infinite scrolling, engagement-driven algorithms and constant notifications are increasingly viewed by regulators as manipulative, disrupting both sleep and academic performance among young users. In response, Australian authorities recently doubled maximum penalties for non-compliance to roughly A$99 million, equivalent to about $69.75 million USD. Regulators have also been granted expanded powers to access internal company documents amid claims that platforms have not done enough to enforce existing restrictions. This crackdown reflects a broader global shift toward limiting youth access to social media, driven by mounting public health concerns. Reports from the World Health Organization and various long-term studies have linked heavy platform use to rising rates of adolescent anxiety, depression and body-image issues. Legal pressure on tech companies has intensified too, with several US lawsuits and court rulings exposing internal documents suggesting platforms knowingly prioritised engagement over user safety. That mounting evidence has fuelled growing legislative appetite worldwide for mandatory, government-enforced age verification systems.

PayPal-owned coupon extension Honey is facing a sharp decline in its user base. The drop comes amid mounting criticism and legal action from online creators. According to reports, the browser extension has lost millions of users as accusations of affiliate misconduct continue to draw scrutiny. PayPal acquired Honey back in 2020 for $4 billion, and the tool has faced repeated controversy in the years since. Data from MegaLag shows Honey’s user base has dropped by more than seven million. The extension has fallen from roughly 20 million users on the Chrome Web Store down to about 13 million. In a significant legal development, US District Judge Beth Labson Freeman allowed a second amended complaint from content creators to move forward. The ruling marks another setback for PayPal as it continues defending the extension in court. Alongside the drop in users, Honey’s coupon database has also shrunk considerably. Its collection of active codes has fallen from 90,000 to around 50,000, with roughly 10,000 of the remaining codes reportedly already expired. In response to the broader controversy, Google has updated its Chrome Web Store policies to curb similar link-manipulation practices. The updated rules now require clearer transparency around how extensions monetise user activity. Separately, Rakuten Advertising has rolled out a new system aimed at preventing extensions from claiming last-click credit on purchases. The move is seen as a direct response to the kind of practices Honey has been accused of. Honey had built its reputation by promising users automatic savings, claiming it could scan the internet to find the best available coupon codes for any purchase. That promise, heavily promoted through YouTube sponsorships, helped the extension attract millions of downloads over the years. However, growing legal pressure and declining trust appear to be reshaping how both users and industry regulators view coupon-finding tools going forward. With lawsuits ongoing and user numbers continuing to slide, Honey’s reputation looks set to remain under scrutiny in the months ahead.

  Meta Platforms is facing a major legal battle in a California federal court, where a group of state attorneys general is accusing the company of deliberately designing Facebook and Instagram in ways that can make children and teenagers addicted to social media. The trial, beginning Wednesday in Oakland, could result in huge financial penalties and force Meta to make major changes to how its platforms operate. The seven-week trial will examine allegations from Colorado, Kentucky, California and New Jersey that Meta designed its platforms to keep young users engaged for extended periods while misleading the public about their safety. The case also involves claims from 29 states that Meta illegally collected and used children’s personal information, allegedly violating federal law. Jury selection is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, with opening statements expected on August 18. Meta founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify during the proceedings, along with Instagram chief Adam Mosseri. The case is considered one of the biggest legal challenges yet faced by Meta over the effects of social media on young people. The company has estimated that potential damages could reach $1.4 trillion, a figure close to its market value of around $1.5 trillion. However, the states involved have not publicly revealed how much compensation they intend to seek. The attorneys general are also asking the court to order Meta to introduce stronger age restrictions and remove features such as infinite scrolling. They want the company to make additional changes aimed at reducing the potential negative effects of social media on children. Meta has strongly rejected the allegations and said it expects evidence presented during the trial to demonstrate its efforts to protect young users. The company said it has listened to parents, worked with experts and law enforcement agencies, and conducted extensive research into issues affecting children and teenagers. The lawsuit, filed in 2023, followed a multistate investigation into the impact of Facebook and Instagram on young users. The investigation gained momentum after former Meta employee and whistleblower Frances Haugen testified before a US Senate committee in 2021. Haugen alleged that Meta was aware of potential harm to young users and had information about ways to make its platforms safer but chose not to make certain changes. New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport has accused Meta of continuing to prioritise user engagement and profits despite allegedly knowing that its platforms could negatively affect children. Public concern over social media use among young people is also growing. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 85% of Americans believe social media can be addictive for children, while 61% said social media companies need stronger government oversight. Meta and other technology companies are facing thousands of similar lawsuits from states, school districts, local governments and individuals. Two cases that have already reached juries resulted in verdicts against Meta. Last week, a New Mexico judge ordered the company to pay $567 million and make changes to its platforms after finding Meta responsible for contributing to a children’s mental health crisis in the state. Meta continues to deny wrongdoing and has argued that social media addiction is not officially recognised as a psychiatric condition. Legal experts believe the latest trial could become a crucial test for the company, particularly following recent courtroom losses. The case will be overseen by US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who has taken the unusual step of using an advisory jury to provide findings on specific questions. Rogers will consider the jury’s conclusions but will have the final authority over the case. The states are seeking financial damages as well as nationwide changes to Meta’s platforms. Their demands include stronger age restrictions, deletion of systems created using children’s data, limits on notifications and infinite scrolling, and changes to algorithms so that the well-being of young users is given greater importance than simply maximising engagement.