Instagram, YouTube the biggest likely winners of TikTok ban but smaller rivals could rise too
While 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 โ if it is blocked at all.
Nevada attorney general launches go-it-alone lawsuits against social media firms in state court
Nevadaโs attorney general has launched a go-it-alone legal fight accusing TikTok, Snapchat and Meta of creating what one lawsuit calls โan addiction machineโ that exploits children too young to have self-control.
School lawsuits over social media harm face tough legal road
Like 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.
Group urges feds to investigate Snapchat over fentanyl sales
As the U.S. deals with its deadliest overdose crisis to date, a national crime-prevention group is calling on the Justice Department to clamp down on social mediaโs role in the spread of fentanyl, the drug largely driving a troubling spike in overdose deaths among teenagers.
These are 14 apps Harris County law enforcement agency says parents should be aware of
There are some apps parents may need to be aware about. 4 Mark Herman posted on their Facebook and Twitter feeds a list of 14 apps parents should be concerned about, as kids and teens may have those installed on their smartphones. HOLLA - An โaddictingโ video message app that brings kids and teens to meet strangers from all over the world. Burn Book - An app that allows users to post anonymous audio messages, texts and photos. What other apps should parents be aware of that are not on this list?
Twitter without Trump tumbles along with other tech shares
FILE - This April 26, 2017, file photo shows the Twitter app icon on a mobile phone in Philadelphia. Twitter is launching tweets that disappear in 24 hours called Fleets globally, echoing social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram that already have disappearing posts. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Shares of social media and other tech companies slid Monday, hit by fallout from the siege on the U.S. Capitol by supporter of President Donald Trump. Trump supporters have argued that the actions of the technology companies is a violation of free speech and Trump has long tried to repeal Section 230. Though Trump's tenure ends in nine days, power in the Senate has flipped to the Democrats who have long begrudged the oversized influence of social media.
Twitter launches disappearing tweets that vanish in a day
Twitter is launching tweets that disappear in 24 hours called โFleetsโ globally, echoing social media sites like Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram that already have disappearing posts. Twitter tested the feature in Brazil, Italy, India, and South Korea, before rolling it out globally. Fleets are a โlower pressureโ way to communicate โfleeting thoughtsโ as opposed to permanent tweets, Twitter executives Joshua Harris, design director, and Sam Haveson, product manager, said in a blog post. The news comes the same day Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced questions from a Senate Judiciary Committee about how they handled disinformation surrounding the presidential election. Such features are increasingly popular with social media users looking for smaller groups and and more private chats.
Have you seen her? Galveston police searching for missing 14-year-old
While the family is still searching for the 14-year-old teen, she is considered a runaway, not missing. ORIGINAL: Galveston police are searching for a teenager reported missing. Helpenstill, 14, was last seen Saturday in Galveston, according to Texas EquuSearch. Helpenstill was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, a black and white Adidas jacket, pajama bottoms with a unicorn and rainbows pattern, and red, white & blue Nike slides. Anyone with information on her whereabouts is urged to contact the Galveston Police Department at (409) 765-3702 or Texas EquuSearch at (281) 309-9500.
Parents, are you doing enough to keep your kids safe online?
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat โฆ it can be tough to keep all the social media channels straight. And then you throw in texting, e-mail, the Cloud -- phew. Itโs one thing to maintain a personal Facebook account. But when you try to stay on top of all the apps on your childโs or teenagerโs phone? It can feel like a full-time job.