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. —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. 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. 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? Read the full story on the promises and pitfalls of pet life extension.

This story is from The Checkup, our weekly biotech newsletter. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every Thursday. Form Energy is one of MIT Technology Review’s 10 Climate Tech Companies to Watch 2026, available exclusively to subscribers.

As wind and solar power grow, utilities need cheaper ways to store electricity for longer periods. Form Energy aims to meet that need with batteries that can store energy for 100 hours. The company has developed a new type of battery using iron, a far more abundant and cheaper metal than those used in many existing batteries.