Social Media

Egypt's Parliament is looking into ways to regulate children's use of social media platforms to combat what lawmakers called "digital choas," following some western countries that are considering banning young teenagers from social media. The House of Representatives said in a statement late Sunday that it will work on a legislation to regulate children's use of social media and "put an end to the digital chaos our children are facing, and which negatively impacts their future." Legislators will consult with the government and expert bodies to draft a law to "protect Egyptian children from any risks that threaten its thoughts and behavior," the statement said. The statement came after President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday urged his government and lawmakers to consider adopting legislation restricting children's use of social media, "until they reach an age when they can handle it properly." The president's televised comments urged his government to look at other countries ...

A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced two human rights lawyers to 17 years in prison each over social media posts the authorities claimed were hostile to the state and its security institutions. Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict a day after Zainab Mazari and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested in Islamabad, according to court documents. The couple appeared briefly via video link but boycotted the hearing, prompting the court to conclude the trial and deliver the verdict. Family and friends denounced the ruling. The couple denied all the changes. The court verdict said Mazari had posted multiple tweets in recent years that "portrayed the agenda" of the outlawed Baloch separatist group and Pakistani Taliban. The case stems from a complaint filed in August 2025 with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency, alleging the couple used social media to malign the state and its security institutions. They were formally indicted last October and had repeatedly refused to

Blaming Gen Z for shallow culture misses the point: algorithms, nostalgia and risk-averse institutions have drained depth long before the youngest generation logged in

The exposure of children to social media in India has increased rapidly due to cheaper smartphones and wider internet access, including in rural areas

The UK may follow Australia in banning under-16s from social media as ministers seek public views on curbing screen time and harmful online features for children

X suffered a global outage, disrupting access for users in India and overseas. Feeds reportedly failed to load, posts could not be published, and the platform's AI chatbot Grok was also affected

State media, embracing the gaming phrase "kill line," is asserting China's political superiority over the United States, deflecting focus on China's own economic challenges

Today's Best of BS Opinion covers US tariff threats linked to Russian oil, the Grok AI content debate, small finance banks' record, cracks in India's growth story, and a Cold War spy tale

After government pressure, X removes thousands of obscene Grok-generated images in India, but the fight over platform liability and user misuse is far from over

The Grok controversy shows how fast-moving AI is outpacing laws, forcing governments to rethink how to curb explicit content without undermining free speech

This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed," Musk, who owns X, said in a post on the platform

Social media is hailing Oatzempic as a natural way for weight-loss. But does it actually work, and is it safe to rely on?

Vivek Ramaswamy argued that social media creates a distorted picture of reality that also affects modern governance

Microblogging site X will act against illegal content by removing it, permanently suspending accounts that uploaded the material and working with local governments as required, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform said on Sunday. The statement from the Global Government Affairs account of X was issued hours after it said people using the platform's AI service, Grok, to create illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk said on X in response to a post on "inappropriate images". Global government affairs at X reiterated Musk's stance on illegal content. "We take action against illegal content on X, including Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), by removing it, permanently suspending accounts, and working with local governments and law enforcement as necessary. "Anyone using or prompting Grok to make illegal content will suf

Microblogging site X owner Elon Musk on Saturday said people using the platform's AI services Grok to make illegal content will face the same consequences as those uploading illegal content. The statement from Musk comes a day after Ministry of Electronics and IT directed X to immediately remove all vulgar, obscene and unlawful content, especially generated by AI app Grok, or face action under the law. "Anyone using Grok to make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content," Musk said on X in response to a post on "inappropriate images". The post said, "Some people are saying Grok is creating inappropriate images. But that's like blaming a pen for writing something bad. A pen doesn't decide what gets written. The person holding it does. Grok works the same way. What you get depends a lot on what you put in. Think about it!." Meity has directed X to take action against offending content, users and accounts. The ministry has directed the US-bas

X may lose safe harbour if IT ministry not satisfied with the response, say officials

The proposal follows a French parliamentary investigation that found platforms were deliberately exposing minors to harmful content, prompting calls for stricter online safeguards

User-generated social media content quality does not show a direct influence on engagement for brands, a new study by the Goa Institute of Management (GIM) has pointed out. The study conducted in collaboration with the Goa University, Taleigao, has addressed a key gap in marketing literature by examining how social media content quality and source credibility from brands and firms and users translate into brand equity and online engagement. The research published in the prestigious "Journal of Promotion Management", provides insights on "which type of content, Firm-Generated Content (FGC) or User-Generated Content (UGC), actually drives brand engagement and builds brand equity". According to officials, various research on related topics has been conducted in the past but has provided contradictory findings, making it unclear for real-world scenarios whether social media investment generates measurable brand outcomes or not. "The study attempts to bring clarity to this ongoing debat

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has observed that the Centre could consider framing a legislation to regulate the use of internet by kids, similar to a law in Australia. Until such a legislation is in place, the state and national commission for protection of child rights could draft an action plan to create awareness among children on child rights and safe use of the internet, the court said. The framework suggested by the court aims at restricting children below 16 years from having social media accounts, amidst apprehensions over the minors' exposure to harmful online content. A division bench comprising Justices G Jayachandran and K K Ramakrishnan made the remarks recently after counsel K P S Palanivel Rajan, representing the petitioner S Vijayakumar, cited a new Australian law which banned social media usage by children under 16, and said India could consider introducing similar legislation. Vijayakumar had filed the public interest litigation praying for a directio

The surge in user-generated content, especially on social media platforms, has accelerated innovation in photo-editing tools