The Know Daily - Wednesday 10 April 2024

_{Read in 5m 47s ∙ Listening to boygenius ∙}

A family-owned farm in Wiltshire has begun its transformation into the biggest grassland in southern England, as it attempts to restore declining wildlife through rewilding. Endangered birds such as cuckoos will be encouraged to thrive - and extinct species could even make a return in the future. 

🌎 Climate litigation

A group of Swiss women yesterday won the first ever climate case victory in the European Court of Human Rights, setting a precedent for future climate lawsuits.

What did the group claim? 
The case was brought by a group of around 2,000 women - mostly in their seventies - called KlimaSeniorinnen, or Swiss Elders for Climate Protection. They argued that their age and gender made them particularly vulnerable to the effects of heatwaves linked to climate change, and that not enough had been done to protect them.

And the judges agreed?
Yep. Europe’s top human rights court ruled that Switzerland had “failed to comply” with its duties concerning climate change and that it had violated the right to respect for private and family life. Judges also found that there had been “critical gaps” in the country’s policies to tackle climate change, reported the BBC.

Two other climate-related cases - one of which was brought by six Portuguese young people - were yesterday thrown out by the court on procedural grounds. 

Why is this victory such a big deal? 
It’s the first time the top court has ruled on global warming - and it’s expected to have “international ripple effects”, said Reuters. Although the case was brought against the Swiss government, the judges’ decision could end up influencing law across all 46 countries that are signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights - and this includes the UK. 

The ruling is also likely to “embolden” more communities to bring climate cases against governments, added Reuters. Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg - who joined activists celebrating outside the court in Strasbourg - echoed this sentiment, saying it is “only the beginning” of climate litigation.

🪀 The kidfluencer craze

Experts have called for greater protections for ‘kidfluencers’ who create and share content online.

Hold up - kidfluencers?
The term refers to children who have a significant social media following, with some making big money from their content. Usually, the child’s parent or guardian manages the account.

Their content is usually aimed at fellow children, with toy influencing particularly popular - one nine-year-old boy made a whopping £22 million from his YouTube videos in 2020. While most social media platforms have age restrictions, numerous studies have found that children as young as seven use it regularly.

Why is it a thing? 
In short, money. One parent who ran an account for her toddler-aged son told the BBC in 2019 that it was giving the family “an unbelievable experience”. “It’s great if we can create some kind of media CV for him, put money away in the bank and build memories for us,” she added.

Why are some people concerned?
Speaking to the BBC last month, legal expert Dr Francis Rees said that parents were becoming “pseudo-employers” and expressed concern about exploitation. Other risks for child content creators include a lack of privacy protections online and increased exposure to bullying.

While there are currently no UK laws in place to safeguard child influencers from exploitation, child actors and models do have legal protections - and campaigners want this system to be extended.

What’s the bigger picture?
In other parts of the world, legislation has caught up with the kidfluencing trend. In 2020, France introduced a law to regulate the number of hours that child influencers can work and to ensure that any money they earn is put into a bank account until they turn 16. 

And in the US, Illinois became the first state to pass a law to ensure financial compensation for under 16s who feature in vlogs, with California looking to introduce similar legislation.

🧑‍⚖️ Reproductive rights: The Arizona supreme court ruled on Tuesday that a near-total abortion ban from 1864 is enforceable, with the ruling on hold for 14 days. 

📲 TikTok Notes: The video platform announced plans to launch a new photo-sharing app - and it could take on Instagram. 

🛍️ Retail regulations: Assaulting a shop worker is set to be made a specific offence in England and Wales, alongside a wider government clampdown on shoplifting.

✍️ Wellbeing PSA: Looking for an effective way to deal with negative emotions? Writing down your thoughts on paper and then shredding it could be the answer, according to new research. 

🎥 Romcom returns: Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy is set to land in cinemas next year - here’s everything we know so far!

Help your friends feel better about the news - and support The Know at the same time. Get them to sign up using your personalised code 👉 https://theknowmedia.beehiiv.com/subscribe?ref=PLACEHOLDER 👈 and we’ll reward you with goodies from HURR, Grubby and CRU Kafe!

The Know is an independent media company on a mission to help everyone start their day feeling informed and hopeful. We only recommend things we genuinely love but sometimes we make money out of the links and content we share. This directly supports keeping our journalism free for all.

Here are four ways you can support our work:

⭐ Get clicking - this tells our partners that readers are interested in our content. Let’s get started with this one (or maybe this one!).

⭐ Become a friend of The Know - back independent, female-founded journalism for just £1.25 a week. You’ll also get exclusive editions, supporter-only giveaways and more.

⭐ Add us to your contacts or safe sender list - this makes sure we reach your inbox (and everyone else’s) each morning.

⭐ Shop our merch - support The Know and look great while doing it!

Trivia answer: B) Munich’s Pinakothek der Moderne yesterday confirmed that it had fired a staff member for hanging his own painting in the gallery “in the hope of achieving his artistic breakthrough”. 

Need fewer emails? Click here to hear from us once a week.