Social Media
Stories related to how government agencies use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to engage with residents, as well as the policies that govern social media practices for the public sector. Includes coverage of the impact of social media companies on government.
Amendments to the Utah Social Media Regulation Act would allow lawsuits if it can be proven that “addictive social media algorithms” contributed to the worsening of a child’s mental health. Related laws have been stopped in two other states.
University of North Carolina System President Peter Hans plans to block Yik Yak, Fizz, Whisper and Sidechat from campus IT infrastructure. He likened them to drugs whose harmful effects are becoming more well understood.
On Friday, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed a ban on social media for kids under 16 and lawmakers introduced new legislation that would let 14- and 15-year-olds access social media with a parent’s consent. The ban would still apply to children 13 and under.
The bill would bar people under 16 from setting up accounts on most social media platforms. House Speaker Paul Renner and Gov. Ron DeSantis are collaborating to address the latter’s concerns, which include protecting parental rights.
During a recent class discussion in River Ridge High School’s New Teacher Academy, however, students suggested that the adult decision-makers have some misplaced priorities.
The legislators are wading into an ongoing public debate that involves constitutional rights, consumer protections, parental responsibility and quickly evolving technologies.
City officials have announced that they will join a California lawsuit against major social media companies over what Mayor Eric Adams is calling a “mental health crisis” facing young people.
A journalism teacher at Monta Vista High School in Cupertino, Calif., crafted her own media-literacy curriculum with Ted Talks, documentaries, articles about TikTok’s algorithm and examples of AI-enhanced images.
Research shows a correlation between the Internet, social media and an increase among children for suicidal thoughts and other health-related concerns, experts say.
The lawmaker wants to change a key piece of federal law that shields Internet companies like X, Facebook and Snapchat from lawsuits over user posts, a protection considered the lifeblood of social media.
