Following similar measures from several other countries across the globe, the United Kingdom plans to ban all teens in the region under 16 years of age from accessing Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and X, as well as select game platforms and livestreaming apps. The British government's planned social-media ban follows months of deliberation, during which time the majority of citizens have grown to support the action for teens. According to the government, 90% of parents who responded to a national survey agreed with the restriction for an age minimum of 16.

The e-commerce giant’s CEO noted the dominance of brick-and-mortar retail despite decades of disruption, but sees that as a massive opportunity. “We’re not investing approximately $200 billion in capex in 2026 on a hunch,” Jassy wrote. Closer to retail, Jassy reiterated the company’s investments in rural America, saying “we understand that rural customers are often de-prioritized by logistics and telecom providers because remote communities are more expensive to serve.” “While other companies have been backing away from these customers, we’ve been running to them,” he said. “We’ve committed over $4 billion to expand our rural delivery network.” “Our retail business is now approaching $600 billion in topline, yet roughly 80% of global retail sales still happens in physical stores,” he said. “That will change.”

As digital avenues have become more popular among today’s consumers (and as a result among marketers and advertisers), an interesting trend has emerged over the last few years. Direct mail – flyers, coupons, postcards, catalogs, etc. – has seen a resurgence in its effectiveness and its ability to connect brands with consumers, grab their attention, and drive purchases and engagements. Recent research has shown that consumers are engaging with direct mail marketing materials at much higher rates than with digital marketing assets, and that those engagements are leading to higher response rates and purchases. Mail catalogs in particular have seen a huge boost in their overall response rate, reportedly increasing by 170% from 2004 to 2018 according to the Association of National Advertisers. And rather surprisingly, mail catalogs seem to be popular with Millennials despite their digital upbringings. Perhaps it’s because there were nearly 294 billion emails sent per day in 2019, with that number projected to steadily grow over the next several years. Or maybe it’s because consumers are starting to feel a little creeped out by the hyper-personalized digital ads they’re receiving as they visit their favorite websites and social media platforms. Regardless of why consumers continue to embrace physical catalogs, (digital fatigue, privacy concerns, nostalgia, or something else entirely), an increasing number of retailers are taking notice and taking action.