The Friday Five: Google fined €2.4bn, Australia sets social media age restriction, and 'Britishcore' makes a resurgence

Hello everyone and welcome back to The Friday Five! For the first edition of September, we have broken down five of the most important stories from the past week from the worlds of tech, social media, and digital marketing.

Today, we look at Google, which has been fined €2.4bn for favouring its own shopping services in Google search results. We also look at the surge in British-related TikTok content, the dip in commercial media consumption, new social media age restrictions and Nasty Gal’s Instagram ad ban.??

We've got a lot to get through so let's get started, shall we?

1. ECJ upholds decision that Google must pay €24bn fine

Google has taken a major blow in the ongoing battle with EU regulators.

On Tuesday, The European Court of Justice (ECJ) upheld a €2.4bn fine, originally imposed in 2017, against Google for abusing its dominance in the shopping comparison market.?

The original fine was imposed by the European Commission when the UK firm Foundem accused Google of favouring its own shopping services in Google search results.?

Despite Google’s appeal and attempt to showcase changes they made to generate billions of clicks for other sites, the court ruled that the tech giant's conduct was an act of discrimination and the appeal ‘’must be dismissed in its entirety".

The ruling may open the door for compensation claims from companies impacted by Google’s actions.

This case is part of a larger ongoing dispute between Google and EU regulators, with the tech giant facing €8.2bn in fines for antitrust violations since 2017.

Learn more about this story by visiting BBC News . ?

2. TikTok's 'Britishcore' trend sparks interest in mundane UK culture

The global fascination with Greggs sausage rolls has finally arrived! In our opinion, it’s well overdue.

A recent ‘Britishcore’ trend on TikTok is gaining global popularity. The trend showcases the quirks or eccentricities of British life, such as playfully highlighting aspects of everyday British life such as pub culture, reality TV shows, and Greggs sausage rolls.?

As mentioned, this trend has become a global phenomenon. This week American DJ, The Dare, filmed himself soundtracked to the opening monologue of ‘Trainspotting Underworld’s Born Slippy’ with a caption referencing ‘Britishmaxxing’.?

Other overseas content, includes viral clips lip-syncing to The Only Way is Essex.

American Creators are also sharing the activities they want to do when visiting the UK, such as ‘a cheeky Tesco run’ and getting a Greggs sausage roll.?

TikTok has stated that hashtags under UK-related topics have seen a double-digit rise this year and more recently the #Oasisreunion posts have had over 100 million views since the reunion was announced.?

Explore more examples of ‘Britishcore’ trends by visiting The Guardian .?

3. Commercial media consumption dips as public returns to pre-pandemic routines

Shifting media habits are now reshaping the advertising landscape.

The IPA’s 2024 Making Sense report states that time spent on commercial curated media, such as TV and online content, dropped from 66% in 2015 to 64% in 2024.?

13-34-year-olds have experienced the most notable drop from 76% consumption to 67%.

Despite a slight increase since 2020, driven by ad-supported streaming services, there has been a notable shift from traditional to digital media, which now accounts for 59% of the market.?

Despite overall media consumption reverting to pre-pandemic norms, the methods of delivering media are consistently evolving.

This means marketers and advertisers need to adapt to differing media landscapes and increased smartphone use, which now accounts for 32% of adults' curated media time.

Discover more at Marketing Week .

4. Australia to become one the first countries to enforce a social media age restriction

Should social media have a minimum age restriction? The Australian government thinks so.?

This week, the Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, announced a plan to set minimum age restrictions for children when accessing social media. The Australian government is proposing a trial of age verification technology before implementing the restriction later this year.?

The aim of the restriction is to encourage physical exercise and limit social media usage time for children. Albanese shared how he believes high levels of social media time cause social harm for the younger generation.?

Despite the government’s efforts to justify this decision, there are multiple concerns about enforcing the limit and potential unintended consequences.

For example, the eSafety Commissioner and industry body DIGI, have suggested that this restriction might push young people to unsafe parts of the internet or secretly try to access social media.

Learn more about this story on Sky News .

5. Nasty Gal vs the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA): $1,000 competition ad banned

Transparency in social media promotions has never been more crucial for brands.

Fashion retailer Nasty Gal faced a ban from the ASA due to issues with a promotional competition on Instagram.

ASA deemed that Nasty Gal’s method of announcing the competition winner was insufficient and did not meet certain standards for accessible disclosure.?

The issue highlighted concerns that the many entrants were unable to find out when and who had won, as Nasty Gal contacted the winner directly.?

The ruling underscores the need for transparent communication in social media promotions, ensuring that all participants are informed of the outcome.

Because of this, Nasty Gal is now prohibited from using this approach for future promotions.?

Read more on this story at Marketing Beat .

…and there we go! Another edition of your favourite newsletter all done and dusted!?

We hope you have a lovely weekend and make sure to subscribe to receive next week’s Friday Five. Goodbye for now!?