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The latest news, analysis and opinion on Apps. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Teenagers look at their mobile phones during an interview about France’s proposed social media ban in Paris on Monday. Photo: Reuters
France

France parliament approves social media ban for children under 15, in EU first

The bill also includes a ban on mobile phones in high schools, expected to take effect from the beginning of the next school year.

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Good Schools Guide

Hong Kong schools are using tech to reshape teen mental health support

South Korea

Beggar’s banquet: South Korea’s viral app helps youth find cheap meals

Artificial intelligence

China’s StepFun beats Apple and OpenAI to ‘world’s first AI phone’

Tencent-backed firm launches the AI-native StepX Neo smartphone, challenging US tech giants amid Apple-OpenAI legal clashes.

Tencent Holdings-backed StepFun introduced the StepX Neo in Shanghai on Monday, which it claims to be the world's first agentic smartphone. Photo: Weibo
European Union

EU demands ‘youth mode’ to protect children from addictive social media features

The addictive features include infinite scroll, autoplay, push notifications and highly personalised recommender systems.

Indonesia

‘Grading own homework’: is Indonesia outsourcing online safety to tech giants?

Without a regulator, Indonesia’s child online safety rules require digital platforms to assess and remove underage accounts themselves.

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European Union

Apple loses challenges against EU rules to curb Big Tech

The EU Digital Markets Act has triggered legal challenges by Apple, Meta and ByteDance since it took effect in May 2023.

An iPhone and the European Union logo in the background. Apple will be able to appeal on matters of law to the Court of Justice of the European Union, Europe’s highest. Photo: AFP
Wellness

What is ‘urge surfing’? How does it help with addiction and bad habits?

The technique manages cravings and compulsive behaviours like phone addiction by encouraging people to ride out their urges like waves.

South Korea

South Korea ‘fake news’ law triggers free speech, censorship fears

The scope extends beyond social media to malicious reviews and defamatory posts on online communities, delivery apps and shopping platforms.

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Malaysia

Why Malaysia’s tourism boom lives and dies on a Chinese app

RedNote has made Malaysia a must-visit for Chinese tourists, but it can dismantle reputations just as fast as it builds them.

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A woman holds her smartphone displaying the Chinese social networking and e-commerce app RedNote, also known as Xiaohongshu. Photo: AFP
Australia

Australia PM: ‘too many children on social media’, ban too easy to avoid

According to a British ‌study, 85 per cent of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect.

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks at Question Time in the House of Representatives at Australian Parliament House in 2024, in Canberra. Photo: TNS
The Future of Marketing in Asia

China’s digital platforms redefine global marketing strategies

The mainland’s app ecosystem integrates content, discovery and transaction into a single and seamless experience.

The Future of Marketing in Asia

The art of persuasion enters the AI era

Content creators have risen to eclipse traditional ad formats, but now, as AI takes centre stage, the battle for authenticity is on.

Apple

Apple faces new antitrust complaint over ‘unfair’ App Store fees in China

The developers asked the antitrust regulator to investigate and penalise Apple for allegedly ‘abusing the company’s market dominance’.

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People queue outside an Apple store to see the new iPhone 17 lineup in Hangzhou on September 19, 2025. Photo: AFP
Central Asia

Afghan government workers face sack, jail after smartphone ban begins

Employees will be available only ‘via telephone calls and email’, an official says, citing an order from the supreme leader.

A man uses smartphones in Kabul on Tuesday. Photo: EPA
Artificial intelligence

China’s Alipay gets AI-agent overhaul to challenge rivals Tencent and ByteDance

Fintech giant is seen leveraging its billion-user base to launch a conversational interface that coordinates 10,000 services, with safeguards.

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Britain

UK bans under 16s from social media apps including TikTok, YouTube

The move makes the UK part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children.

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Japan

Is baby hungry, sleepy or just unhappy? These Japanese apps can interpret cries

The apps use AI-powered tools trained on baby cries to help parents decode their children’s needs.

The Babylingual app analyses Saku Numazawa’s cries on April 28. Photo: Kyodo
Canada

Canada moves to ban under-16s from social media, regulate AI

The proposed plan could see companies fined up to 3 per cent of their global revenue or US$7.2 million if they do not comply.

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Alibaba

Ant International powers new e-wallet in cash-heavy Mexico

The e-wallet may assist small businesses in the Latin American country to build credit history and secure financing, according to Clip.

Artificial intelligence

ByteDance thinks its Doubao AI is worth paying for. Are China’s users buying it?

The tech giant’s paywall gamble may have backfired after teasing its paid-subscription options for flagship chatbot Doubao saw users bolt.

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ByteDance’s decision to introduce a paywall for its flagship chatbot Doubao saw it lose 6.1 million users and could risk the tech giant’s lead in China’s fierce artificial intelligence race, according to analysts. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

Tencent shares jump 10% on expectations of AI agent within WeChat

An AI agent would leverage the app’s ecosystem of mini-programs, payments, content and commerce for 1.4 billion users.

Tencent has repeatedly stressed its cautious approach to adding an agent to its super app. Photo: Reuters
Indonesia

Indonesia bans Polymarket following bets on Prabowo presidency end date

The predictions market attracted ⁠attention on social media in Indonesia after a bet opened on when Prabowo would be ‘out as president’.

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Artificial intelligence

Chinese tech giants race to dominate AI-powered digital gateways

The integration of agentic AI with sites like Taobao and JD.com is reshaping shopping, but the bigger promise is an agent within WeChat.

Artificial intelligence

How ByteDance plans to turn OpenClaw craze into a profitable AI business

ArkClaw’s subscription model and surging token demand mark ByteDance’s new approach to agent economics.

The logo of OpenClaw, an open-source AI assistant. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba brings chat-style shopping to Taobao, Qwen amid AI gateway push: source

E-commerce giant is integrating Qwen with Taobao and Tmall, enabling shoppers to use natural-language commands instead of keyword searches.

A Taobao and Tmall installation at the Alibaba offices in Beijing. Photo: AFP
United States

US nears US$400 million settlement with TikTok on child-privacy, report says

The money will be used to fund Trump’s ‘beautification’ projects in Washington, the report says.

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United States

New Mexico trial citing ‘public nuisance’ laws against Meta, social platforms

The case is being closely watched as governments across the US pursue similar claims seeking to force big tech platforms to change to protect young users.

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