INSIDER
Popular Houston YouTube star claims ex-girlfriend leaked his bank account info, social security number online
Read full article: Popular Houston YouTube star claims ex-girlfriend leaked his bank account info, social security number onlineYouTube star Corey Pritchett Jr. is making headlines after a dramatic fallout with ex-girlfriend Chestine Washington, aka BigBankDanni.
Tech firms remove social media accounts of a Russian drone factory after an AP investigation
Read full article: Tech firms remove social media accounts of a Russian drone factory after an AP investigationGoogle, Meta and TikTok have removed social media accounts belonging to an industrial plant in Russia’s Tatarstan region aimed at recruiting young foreign women to make drones for Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
Arkansas sues YouTube over claims that the site is fueling a mental health crisis
Read full article: Arkansas sues YouTube over claims that the site is fueling a mental health crisisArkansas has sued YouTube and its parent company Alphabet, saying the video-sharing platform is deliberately addictive and fueling a mental health crisis among youth.
MrBeast and Amazon sued by competitors from his $5M reality show over alleged 'unsafe' conditions
Read full article: MrBeast and Amazon sued by competitors from his $5M reality show over alleged 'unsafe' conditionsMrBeast is accused of creating “unsafe” employment conditions and misrepresenting contestants’ odds at winning his new Amazon reality show’s $5 million grand prize.
Trump courts conservative male influencers to try to reach younger men
Read full article: Trump courts conservative male influencers to try to reach younger menDonald Trump’s campaign has fully embraced the bravado-filled, macho, often contrarian online spaces of younger men on livestreaming platforms.
MrBeast wants 'full assessment' of internal culture amid allegations of impropriety and unsafe sets
Read full article: MrBeast wants 'full assessment' of internal culture amid allegations of impropriety and unsafe setsA confidential memo shows that MrBeast has ordered a full assessment of the internal culture in his YouTube empire and an investigation into “allegations of inappropriate behavior by people in the company."
MrBeast's giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestants
Read full article: MrBeast's giant reality competition faces safety complaints from initial contestantsYouTube’s biggest star MrBeast is facing complaints about the safety of contestants from the preliminary round of his ambitious “Beast Games” game show, which boasts 1,000 competitors hoping for a $5 million grand prize.
MrBeast, YouTube's biggest star, acknowledges past 'inappropriate language' as controversies swirl
Read full article: MrBeast, YouTube's biggest star, acknowledges past 'inappropriate language' as controversies swirlMrBeast, YouTube’s biggest star and a philanthropic force with nearly unrivaled influence among young audiences, acknowledged Wednesday that he used inappropriate language in his early online days, as numerous controversies bubbled up around him and a former collaborator.
The distributor of a popular Hong Kong protest song will remove it from all platforms, creator says
Read full article: The distributor of a popular Hong Kong protest song will remove it from all platforms, creator saysThe distributor of a popular protest song in Hong Kong has decided to remove the music from all platforms because of a court ban in the city, the group that created the song says.
Hong Kong will keep watching internet platforms for non-compliance with ban on protest song
Read full article: Hong Kong will keep watching internet platforms for non-compliance with ban on protest songHong Kong’s leader says his government will keep monitoring for any non-compliance with a court order that bans a popular protest song.
YouTube blocks Hong Kong protest anthem after court injunction bans song in the city
Read full article: YouTube blocks Hong Kong protest anthem after court injunction bans song in the cityYouTube has blocked access to videos of a protest song in Hong Kong to comply with a removal order, days after a court approved an injunction to ban the song in the city.
As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: 'The whole country is paying the price'
Read full article: As India votes, misinformation surges on social media: 'The whole country is paying the price'Misinformation about India's election is surging online as the world's most populous country votes.
Instagram, YouTube the biggest likely winners of TikTok ban but smaller rivals could rise too
Read full article: Instagram, YouTube the biggest likely winners of TikTok ban but smaller rivals could rise tooWhile a bill to ban TikTok if it doesn't change owners has received President Joe Biden's signature, it could still be years before the popular video-sharing app is actually blocked from U.S. app stores — if it is blocked at all.
Cruelty for clicks: Cambodia is investigating YouTubers' abuse of monkeys at the Angkor UNESCO site
Read full article: Cruelty for clicks: Cambodia is investigating YouTubers' abuse of monkeys at the Angkor UNESCO siteCambodian authorities are investigating the abuse of monkeys at the famous Angkor UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Laugh out loud during comedian Andrew Youngblood’s debut special
Read full article: Laugh out loud during comedian Andrew Youngblood’s debut specialTexas-based comedian Andrew Youngblood is in the house. He was on Houston Life back in December right before he filmed his special at the secret group. The special, "I'll tell you this" was just released yesterday. We're chatting with him about the drop.
WWE kicks, punches, slams marketing efforts into high gear ahead of WrestleMania, its big event
Read full article: WWE kicks, punches, slams marketing efforts into high gear ahead of WrestleMania, its big eventThis year’s WrestleMania is just days away, but WWE’s marketing campaign for its biggest premium live event of the year was kicked into overdrive months ago.
WWE, a social media powerhouse, tops 100 million subscribers on YouTube
Read full article: WWE, a social media powerhouse, tops 100 million subscribers on YouTubeAs WWE gears up for its biggest annual premium live event next month, the company continues to harness the power of its social media presence to reach its fans.
Mexican president slams YouTube for taking down his video that shared a journalist's phone number
Read full article: Mexican president slams YouTube for taking down his video that shared a journalist's phone numberMexico’s president has again lashed out at social media platform YouTube for taking down part of his daily news briefing where he revealed a reporter’s phone number.
A beheading video was on YouTube for hours, raising questions about why it wasn't taken down sooner
Read full article: A beheading video was on YouTube for hours, raising questions about why it wasn't taken down soonerA graphic video from a Pennsylvania man accused of beheading his father that circulated for hours on YouTube has put a spotlight yet again on gaps in social media companies’ ability to prevent horrific postings from spreading across the web.
A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social media
Read full article: A judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law limiting kids’ use of social mediaA federal judge has temporarily halted enforcement of an Ohio law that would require children under 16 to get parental consent to use social media apps.
A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids' use of social media
Read full article: A group representing TikTok, Meta and X sues Ohio over new law limiting kids' use of social mediaA trade group representing TikTok, Snapchat, Meta and other major tech companies has sued Ohio over a pending law that requires children to get parental consent to use social media apps.
Pew survey: YouTube tops teens' social-media diet, with roughly a sixth using it almost constantly
Read full article: Pew survey: YouTube tops teens' social-media diet, with roughly a sixth using it almost constantlyTeen usage of social media hasn’t dropped much, despite rising concerns about its effects on the mental health of adolescents.
YouTuber who staged California plane crash gets 6 months in prison for obstructing investigation
Read full article: YouTuber who staged California plane crash gets 6 months in prison for obstructing investigationThe U.S. Justice Department says an influencer who staged a California plane crash to make a YouTube video of himself parachuting to safety has been sentenced to six months in prison.
'Past Lives,' 'May December' and 'American Fiction' lead Spirit Award nominations
Read full article: 'Past Lives,' 'May December' and 'American Fiction' lead Spirit Award nominationsCeline Song’s “Past Lives,” Todd Haynes’ “May December” and Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction” got a leading five nominations, including best feature, from the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspension
Read full article: YouTube creators will soon have to disclose use of gen AI in videos or risk suspensionYouTube is rolling out new rules for AI content, including requiring creators to reveal whether they’ve used generative artificial intelligence to make realistic looking videos.
YouTube demonitizes prominent creator Sssniperwolf’s channel following accusations of doxxing fellow creator
Read full article: YouTube demonitizes prominent creator Sssniperwolf’s channel following accusations of doxxing fellow creatorJack Douglass, the creator behind Jacksfilms, said Alia Shelesh, the YouTuber known as SSSniperwolf, came to his home and posted images of it to Instagram.
1 dead, 1 injured in shooting at social media influencer party in downtown Houston
Read full article: 1 dead, 1 injured in shooting at social media influencer party in downtown HoustonA man died, and a second man was taken to the hospital after a shooting at a YouTube influencer party in downtown Houston on Saturday, the Houston Police Department said.
Tech companies try to take AI image generators mainstream with better protections against misuse
Read full article: Tech companies try to take AI image generators mainstream with better protections against misuseArtificial intelligence tools that can conjure whimsical artwork or realistic-looking images from written commands started wowing crowds last year.
YouTube suspends Russell Brand from making money off the streaming site after sex assault claims
Read full article: YouTube suspends Russell Brand from making money off the streaming site after sex assault claimsYouTube says Russell Brand will no longer make money from the video streaming site after several women made allegations of sexual assault against the comedian-turned influencer.
Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube
Read full article: Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTubeGoogle is introducing its artificially intelligent chatbot named Bard to other members of its digital family — including Gmail, Maps and YouTube — as it seeks to ward off competitive threats posed by similar technology run by Open AI and Microsoft.
Police went to Ruby Franke’s home last year over concerns she left children alone for days
Read full article: Police went to Ruby Franke’s home last year over concerns she left children alone for daysAuthorities were summoned last year to the Utah home of Ruby Franke, the YouTube family influencer charged with multiple counts of child abuse, after a concerned neighbor said her children had been left home alone for several days, a police report shows.
India launches a spacecraft to study the sun after successful landing near the moon's south pole
Read full article: India launches a spacecraft to study the sun after successful landing near the moon's south poleIndia has launched its first space mission to study the sun, less than two weeks after a successful uncrewed landing near the south pole region of the moon.
Kids and social media: What parents should consider before saying no to screen time
Read full article: Kids and social media: What parents should consider before saying no to screen timeAre you tired of your kids spending too much time on social media? A Houston area psychiatrist is handing out some healthy tips and explaining how the use of social media could be beneficial to some kids.
Children's advocates ask FTC to investigate Google for targeting ads to kids
Read full article: Children's advocates ask FTC to investigate Google for targeting ads to kidsChildren's advocacy groups including Fairplay and Common Sense Media are asking the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Google, saying the tech giant serves personalized ads to kids on YouTube despite federal law prohibiting the practice.
Georgia kids would need parental permission to join social media if Senate Republicans get their way
Read full article: Georgia kids would need parental permission to join social media if Senate Republicans get their wayChildren in Georgia would need their parents' permission to create social media accounts if some top Republicans in the state get their way next year.
11-year-old Florida girl arrested after prank-texting 911 to say her friend was kidnapped as part of a YouTube challenge
Read full article: 11-year-old Florida girl arrested after prank-texting 911 to say her friend was kidnapped as part of a YouTube challengeAn 11-year-old Florida girl was arrested after falsely texting authorities that her friend was kidnapped by an armed man. She later confessed the prank was part of a YouTube challenge.
Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama's home will remain jailed until trial, judge rules
Read full article: Capitol riot suspect arrested near Obama's home will remain jailed until trial, judge rulesA man charged in the Capitol riot who had guns and hundreds of rounds of ammunition in his van when he was arrested near former President Barack Obama’s Washington home will remain in jail while he awaits trial.
Video gamer, YouTuber PewDiePie welcomes first child with wife Marzia
Read full article: Video gamer, YouTuber PewDiePie welcomes first child with wife MarziaThe Swedish YouTuber, best known as Felix Kjellberg, made the announcement on Instagram in a collaboration post with his wife Marzia on the birth of their son, Björn.
YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential elections
Read full article: YouTube changes policy to allow false claims about past US presidential electionsYouTube says it will stop removing content that falsely claims the 2020 election and other past U.S. presidential elections were marred by widespread fraud, errors or glitches.
Using 'he/him,' 'she/her' in emails got 2 dorm directors fired at small New York Christian college
Read full article: Using 'he/him,' 'she/her' in emails got 2 dorm directors fired at small New York Christian collegeThe firing of two employees at a religious school in western New York is fanning the culture wars roiling parts of the United States.
YouTube sends gun videos to 9-year-olds: ‘It’s not the kids. It’s the algorithms,’ study finds
Read full article: YouTube sends gun videos to 9-year-olds: ‘It’s not the kids. It’s the algorithms,’ study findsYouTube is great at sending users videos that it thinks they'll like based on their interests.
YouTuber who crashed plane in California mountains did it for sponsorship, authorities say
Read full article: YouTuber who crashed plane in California mountains did it for sponsorship, authorities sayA YouTuber whose single-engine airplane crashed in a California national forest admitted that he downed the aircraft to boost views for a sponsorship deal, authorities said Thursday.
Webby Award nominations for Harry Styles, Lizzo, Post Malone
Read full article: Webby Award nominations for Harry Styles, Lizzo, Post MaloneHarry Styles, Post Malone, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, the cast of “Ted Lasso” and the web series that gave us a kid loving corn are among the nominees for this year’s Webby Awards.
Supreme Court wrestles with lawsuit shield for social media
Read full article: Supreme Court wrestles with lawsuit shield for social mediaIn its first case about the federal law that is credited with helping create the modern internet, the Supreme Court seems unlikely to side with a family wanting to hold Google liable for the death of their daughter who was killed in a terrorist attack.
Supreme Court weighs liability shield for internet giants
Read full article: Supreme Court weighs liability shield for internet giantsA lawsuit against YouTube from the family of an American college student who was killed by Islamic State gunmen in Paris in 2015 is at the center of a closely watched Supreme Court case being argued Tuesday.
Katy man leads Texas troopers on high speed chase while recording video posted on YouTube
Read full article: Katy man leads Texas troopers on high speed chase while recording video posted on YouTubeA 23-year-old Katy man is out on bond after he fled from Texas state troopers three different times, twice at high speeds and once on foot.
‘Unspeakable’ challenge: H-Town’s own YouTuber to fill Toyota Center with 2 million balls in first-ever live show
Read full article: ‘Unspeakable’ challenge: H-Town’s own YouTuber to fill Toyota Center with 2 million balls in first-ever live showH-Town’s very own YouTuber “Unspeakable” has a goal on Jan. 21: turn the Toyota Center into a massive ball pit. It’s said to be the most extreme challenge yet.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Read full article: School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal roadLike the tobacco, oil, gun, opioid and vaping industries before them, the big U.S. social media companies are now facing lawsuits brought by public entities that seek to hold them accountable for a huge societal problem in the mental health crisis among youth.
Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harm
Read full article: Seattle schools sue tech giants over social media harmThe public school district in Seattle is suing the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth.
YouTube’s top trending U.S. videos, creators of 2022
Read full article: YouTube’s top trending U.S. videos, creators of 2022YouTube released its annual list of the American “videos, creators, and music that made an impact in 2022.” It offers tantalizing insight into the content that the country’s consuming on the platform.
Local 12-year-old Aniyah Cotton makes her way as rapper and talk show host
Read full article: Local 12-year-old Aniyah Cotton makes her way as rapper and talk show hostHouston Life chats with local seventh grader Aniyah Cotton, a rapper and actress giving other kids a platform to shine with her YouTube talk show, ‘The Aniyah Cotton show.’
Teen author and podcaster discuss ‘Teensplaining’
Read full article: Teen author and podcaster discuss ‘Teensplaining’Today on Houston Life, we heard from a local teen who’s making an impact on his community while still in high school. Bailey Moore sat down with Derrick and Courtney to share his passion for helping others and details about his new podcast with youth leader and entrepreneur Jordyn Wright!
Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhem
Read full article: Social media platforms brace for midterm elections mayhemSocial media platforms like Facebook, TikTok and Twitter say they're taking steps to prevent the spread of misinformation about voting and elections ahead of next month's midterms.
Joaquín Castro y grupos latinos advierten sobre la desinformación en español a pocas semanas de las elecciones
Read full article: Joaquín Castro y grupos latinos advierten sobre la desinformación en español a pocas semanas de las eleccionesLos grupos declaran que las compañías de redes sociales no están haciendo lo suficiente para frenar las falsedades que se esparcen en sus plataformas.
U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, Latino groups warn about rampant misinformation targeting Spanish speakers ahead of the elections
Read full article: U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, Latino groups warn about rampant misinformation targeting Spanish speakers ahead of the electionsThe groups say social media companies are not doing enough to curb the spread of falsehoods specifically targeting Latinos.
Armenia, Azerbaijan report 99 troops killed in border clash
Read full article: Armenia, Azerbaijan report 99 troops killed in border clashFighting on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan has killed about 100 troops and fed fears of broader hostilities breaking out between the longtime adversaries.
'Pre-bunking' shows promise in fight against misinformation
Read full article: 'Pre-bunking' shows promise in fight against misinformationGoogle and a team of university researchers have hit on what they say could be an effective way to make people more impervious to the harmful impact of online misinformation.
YouTube to remove videos spreading abortion falsehoods
Read full article: YouTube to remove videos spreading abortion falsehoodsYouTube will begin removing misleading videos about abortion in response to falsehoods being spread about the procedure that is being banned or restricted across a broad swath of the U.S. The move announced Thursday by the Google-owned video site comes about a month after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the case that had protected the legality of abortion in the country for nearly 50 years.
Revealing the women-only viral craze in Houston!
Read full article: Revealing the women-only viral craze in Houston!A first on Houston Life, Lauren Kelly is live revealing a viral craze in Houston that’s for women-only. It has more than 187k Followers on Instagram and 76,200 YouTube subscribers. It started in Houston and is a nationwide success story. Join us Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. on KPRC 2.
Technoblade, popular Minecraft YouTuber, dies at 23 after battle with cancer
Read full article: Technoblade, popular Minecraft YouTuber, dies at 23 after battle with cancerTechnoblade, a popular YouTuber best known for his Minecraft videos, died about a year after he was diagnosed with cancer, according to his family. He was 23.
Solutionaries: Helping Fight the Hunger
Read full article: Solutionaries: Helping Fight the HungerDo you live in a food desert? Are you in the middle of a food swamp? Do better options exist? Food solutions for everybody, including the littlest ones in desperate need of baby formula. Join us for Solutionaries on Thursday, June 30 at 6:30 p.m CST.
Ludacris' manager and 2 others shot, 1 fatally, in Georgia
Read full article: Ludacris' manager and 2 others shot, 1 fatally, in GeorgiaA man was killed and two others were injured, including rap star Ludacris’ manager, in a parking lot shooting in an upscale neighborhood north of downtown Atlanta on Sunday night.
‘She was very charming’: Houston-area YouTuber who scammed nearly $136K from 8 investors sentenced to prison, DA says
Read full article: ‘She was very charming’: Houston-area YouTuber who scammed nearly $136K from 8 investors sentenced to prison, DA saysA Houston-area social media influencer who touted herself as an expert in how to land the perfect man plead guilty to tricking followers and acquaintances into fake real estate deals and was sentenced to five years in prison, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Thursday.
EXPLAINER: How platforms dealt with 'RINO hunting' video
Read full article: EXPLAINER: How platforms dealt with 'RINO hunting' videoWhen a GOP Missouri U.S. Senate candidate released a video Monday in which he cocked a gun after calling for a hunt of fellow Republicans who he believes are “RINOs,” or Republicans in Name Only, Facebook scraped it off its platform within a few hours.
Hey, brother! How these siblings from Roanoke, Virginia became the oh-so popular ‘Super Carlin Brothers’
Read full article: Hey, brother! How these siblings from Roanoke, Virginia became the oh-so popular ‘Super Carlin Brothers’You have to meet Jonathan and Ben Carlin, if you’re not familiar with them already.