What went right this week: the good news that matters

The EU to ban social media for kids, England approved a life-extending breast cancer drug, and reading was linked to better health, plus more good news This week’s good news roundup The European Union (EU) has announced plans to ban social media for under-13s – a move welcomed by child safety campaigners. The proposals were unveiled on Wednesday by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. “Many perceive the power of big tech as overwhelming and impossible to roll back. I disagree,” she said. “[This] is not about our minors accessing social media. It is about when and how we allow social media to access minors.” The EU will deploy its own verification scheme and demand that app stores, not platforms, police the gates. Children aged 13 to 15 would only be able to access platforms for an hour a day via ‘mini accounts’ set up through a parent or guardian’s social media account. “Teens will find it much harder to circumvent these bans,” Patrick Grady, head of European tech at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, told Positive News. “The EU will succeed where Australia has so far failed.” Not everyone is convinced by social media bans. Critics have raised concerns around privacy, warning that everyone will have to submit personal information to access platforms. Many welcomed the move, however. “The days of tech exceptionalism and their systematic exploitation of children for profit are numbered,” said Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director at campaign group 5Rights. Image: iStock In a timely intervention, a new $15.5m (£11.4m) fund has launched to help end female genital mutilation (FGM). While the number of girls subjected to FGM has fallen sharply over the last decade, the practice persists in some countries. An estimated 4.4 million girls are at risk of being cut each year globally, putting the world off-track to meet the United Nations goal of ending FGM by 2030. The new Her Horizon Fund was seeded with $14m (£10.4m) from the Wallace Global Fund, a private foundation, plus an additional $1.5m (£1.1m) from an anonymous donor. It’s a welcome intervention, coming as it does amid a sharp decline in the amount of donor money going towards health agencies working to stamp out the practice. “We’re at this critical inflection point,” the fund’s Susan Gibbs told the Guardian. “Most frontline organisations have been absolutely starved for resources, and so more direct funding would allow them to sustain and scale [up] their work.” Related: The new approach to ending FGM that’s showing promise Image: borgogniels Chile has become the first country in South America to eliminate dog-transmitted rabies as a public health problem. Last week, Bhutan was credited with the same achievement by the World Health Organization (WHO). This week, the WHO announced that Chile had also triumphed over the viral disease. The recognition reflects more than five decades of efforts to halt dog-transmitted rabies through canine vaccination, surveillance and human access to post-bite medication. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director general, said it was a “historic achievement” that “demonstrates the impact of sustained investment in public health”. Image: Katelyn Warner A life-extending drug for patients with incurable breast cancer has been made available in England two years after its approval was declined. Enhertu can give patients an average of seven extra months to live, with some living up to three years longer. Scotland, along with 26 European Union nations, have made it available on their health services. However, England’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) said it was too expensive and declined to approve it in 2024. This week, that decision was overturned by NICE following a two-year campaign by patients and charities. Breast Cancer Now, one of those charities, welcomed the decision and called on Wales and Northern Ireland to do the same. “This decision brings a renewed sense of hope, not only for me but for thousands of other women living with incurable HER2-low metastatic cancer,” said campaigner Kathryn Hulland. “Hope of more precious time with our loved ones, hope I may still be here to support my nine-year-old daughter into high school.” Image: DragonImages It’s one of the few countries that still permits commercial whaling – but not for much longer, perhaps. This week, Iceland’s government announced a review of the country’s whaling legislation would happen next February, potentially resulting in a permanent ban on the practice. Iceland, Japan, Norway and the Faroe Islands are the only countries that still allow commercial whaling, despite the 1986 global moratorium on hunting the animals. Some 80 adult fin whales have already been hunted this season in Icelandic waters, according to the nonprofit Humane World for Animals, which welcomed the government’s announcement. “This is a really significant milestone in efforts to consign to history Iceland’s cruel and needless whale hunts,” said Wendy Higgins, its director of media. “There is considerable political and public support for this bill to ban commercial whaling, and compelling ethical, veterinary, legal and conservation reasons to hope it succeeds.” Image: Luis Ga It’s known for its radicalism, and this week Bristol lived up to its reputation by becoming the latest city to ban ads for fossil fuels and other polluting products. On Monday, the Green-led council in the English city voted to outlaw ads for fossil fuels, flights, SUVs and – in a UK-first – ultra-fast fashion. The ban applies only on council-run hoardings. “We don’t want Bristol to be a billboard for polluters while we’re working hard to improve health, air quality and nature in the city,” said the council’s deputy leader Heather Mack. Bristol is not alone. Amsterdam, Cardiff and Edinburgh are among the cities banning ads for polluting products. Unsurprisingly, corporations have been critical of such moves, claiming they curb commercial freedom. Supporters say they encourage healthier behaviour. “Ad bans are a catalyst for healthy change,” said Nicola Wilks, co-founder of campaign group Adfree Cities. “Removing tobacco ads saved lives by reducing levels of smoking. It feels like common sense.” Image: Jonny Gios Good news for bookworms: whether you like trashy romances, classic novels or even comics, reading for pleasure can boost your health. That’s according to new research from the University of Cambridge, England, which linked reading with better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia. The report analysed data from existing studies involving thousands of adults and children. One associated reading with a 33% reduction in the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. While reading is strongly associated with improved literacy skills, the study also linked it to mathematical achievement, as reading and maths share similar cognitive processes. “Reading is a great way to support our brain health, develop important cognitive skills and boost our wellbeing,” said study lead Prof Barbara Sahakian. “It’s something we ought to be encouraging from an early age. But really, it’s never too late to start, and it can bring benefits throughout our lives and into old age.” Image: Guillermo Spelucin Runciman Singapore has hatched a plan to get more people reading rather than inanely scrolling through their phones. Those living in the city state can now track their reading habits and even earn rewards for reading via the new Read SG platform, which aims to strengthen reading culture. “We live in a world of extraordinary abundance, of content, information and stimulation,” Melissa Tam, the national library board’s chief, told the Straits Times. “At any moment, we can scroll through hundreds of headlines, watch a video or get a summary of almost anything.” Such abundance can blunt cognitive function, experts warn. Tam hopes the new strategy will help to address that, encouraging deeper reading to boost critical thinking, imagination, empathy and attention. “We know that habits are built through small, consistent actions,” she said. “So, we are starting with a simple goal – just read for 15 minutes a day. On the bus, before bed or over lunch.” Image: imtmphoto The cost of solar power hit new lows this week as data showed Chinese-made photovoltaic panels now cost around $0.12 (£0.09) per watt – down from $6 (£4.50) in 2000. That’s according to analysis by the Financial Times (FT), which quoted one expert from the energy thinktank Ember describing solar as “offensively cheap”. The vertiginous fall in solar’s costs is unprecedented for any energy technology: in 1975, it cost $100 (£75) per watt. As a result of falling prices, many countries have set new records for installations, especially since the conflict in the Middle East pushed up fossil fuel prices. The latest data comes amid further turmoil in the region, which could choke oil and gas supplies, sending prices soaring and nations looking for more reliable sources of energy. Renewables are the most promising option, according to Ember. Its latest research finds that 97% of the world’s population live in a country where solar and wind potential is more than 10 times current electricity demand. Image: WangAnQi The number of plastic bags washing up on UK beaches has fallen by 80% following the introduction of charges for single-use carriers. So reported the Marine Conservation Society this week as it launched its annual beach clean. The volunteer-led event has provided valuable insights into the state of litter in our seas. Despite showing a steady rise in the proportion of beach rubbish made from plastic – from 75% in 1995 to 87% in 2025 – their findings show that targeted policies can tackle the problem. “Simple policies can make a big difference,” said the charity’s Catherine Gemmell. “The number of plastic carrier bags recorded on UK beaches has fallen by 80%. We’re looking forward to a similar drop in drinks container litter with the introduction of deposit return scheme in October 2027.” However, she said plastic bottles were the “tip of the iceberg” and called for stronger legislation to tackle single-use plastic. Image: Ben Guerin Main image: monkeybusinessimages Get your weekly fix of good news delivered to your inbox every Saturday, by signing up to the Positive News email newsletter Because the world needs it Positive News reports on the people and ideas driving progress. We believe that giving attention to solutions helps them spread. Our journalism is independent and powered by our readers. There are no media moguls or shareholders extracting profits: your contribution funds our work to investigate what’s working, understand why, and bring those stories to a wider audience. If you value a fuller picture of what’s happening in the world, please become a Positive News supporter today.