Social Media

X suffers outage for thousands of users in US, shows Downdetector

More than 27,000 users reported problems accessing Elon Musk-owned social media platform X, according to outage-tracking website Downdetector

India's TikTok ban shows forcing teens off their phones isn't always good

As countries consider stricter controls on social media use by minors, India's experience suggests restrictions may shift users between platforms rather than reduce screen time

Social media ban for children spreading to more countries. Is India next?

The UK has joined a growing list of countries restricting social media access for children. India is debating similar measures, but its challenges are very different

Britain will ban social media apps for children under 16: Keir Starmer

Prime Minister Keir Starmer says Britain will ban under-16s from using a range of social media apps. Starmer says he will fight back if technology companies resist. He says he is "not prepared to compromise on the safety and happiness of our children." The move makes the UK part of a growing global movement to tighten online safety for children. Australia, Canada, Brazil and Indonesia have introduced legislation or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media.

'Unacceptable': UP CM condemns remarks against Akhilesh Yadav's daughter

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday condemned the alleged derogatory remarks made on social media against Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav's daughter and said such comments against any daughter were unacceptable. He said police action should be taken in the case but also suggested that Yadav "reign in" his party workers before they make remarks against others. Addressing a gathering in Azamgarh after inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of 39 development projects worth over Rs 955 crore, Adityanath said he directed police to register an FIR as soon as the matter came to his notice. "I was seeing recently that some people were making comments on social media against the daughter of Akhilesh Yadav ji. As soon as it came to my notice, I immediately told the police to register an FIR against it," he said. The chief minister said daughters should not be targeted and society should maintain dignity in public discourse. "A daughter is a daughter. We h

Canada proposes to ban social media accounts for children under 16

Canada introduced legislation on Wednesday that could bar children younger than 16 from having social media accounts unless the companies show they can make their platforms safe. Canada is joining a growing global effort to tighten safety protections. Canadian government officials said social media platforms can obtain an exemption if they have put in place sufficient safeguards. "We are failing our children. Enough is enough," Marc Miller, Canada's culture minister, said. "We need basic protection in place." The legislation covers seven types of harmful content including content that induces children to harm themselves, content that incites violence and foments hatred and non-consensual intimate images. A new regulator, the Digital Safety Commission of Canada, will be created. Criteria for what exemptions would look like will be announced at a later date. Miller said setting up the regulator could take up to 18 months. Miller said platforms will need to prove they are safe. Age .

Malaysia enforces ban on social media accounts for children younger than 16

Malaysia on Monday began enforcing rules barring millions of children younger than 16 from owning social media accounts, joining a global effort to tighten online safety protections for young users. The rules require social media platforms to implement age-verification systems and block users under 16 from creating accounts. They apply to platforms with at least 8 million users, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Companies that fail to comply could face penalties of up to 10 million ringgit (USD 2.5 million). But parents whose children manage to bypass the law will not be penalised. The government said the measures are aimed at protecting children from harmful content, cyberbullying and platform features designed to encourage excessive use. Other countries including Australia,Brazil and Indonesia have introduced or announced age-based restrictions or requirements for children's access to social media. Countries including Britain, France, Spain, Denmark, Thailand and

Social media giants to pay $27 mn to settle Kentucky school lawsuit

The settlements, which were announced earlier this month but without financial details, allowed the companies to avert the first trial in the nation over a school district's complaint

Sebi bans 7 individuals in ₹20 crore social media stock manipulation case

Capital markets regulator Sebi has barred seven individuals from securities markets for allegedly running a coordinated pump-and-dump scheme across social media platforms and making unlawful gains of over Rs 20.25 crore. Apart from the debarment, the regulator has also directed finfluencer Hemant Gupta and his sons, Rohan Gupta and Aniket Gupta, to immediately cease and desist from offering unregistered research analyst services or from portraying themselves as research analysts. In a 234-page interim order passed on May 22, Sebi alleged that Hemant, Rohan and Aniket acted as "Operators" who first accumulated positions in thinly traded SME stocks and later circulated bullish stock recommendations on social media platforms to inflate prices, before selling their holdings at a profit. Four other family members Sharon, Leana, Rajani and Purvangi Gupta allegedly facilitated the operation by allowing the use of their trading accounts or by executing trades on the operators' instruction

Fandom as Cult: The fine line between loyalty, belonging and obsession

There is nothing wrong in being someone's fan. The problem is in letting the parasocial relationship define a major part of one's identity

Here's why the Cockroach Janta Party has caught the imagination of youth

Born out of outrage over a top judge's 'cockroach' remark, the Cockroach Janta Party has exploded into a viral movement that taps into the concerns of unemployed and politically disillusioned youth

Govt asks social media firms to curb NEET-UG misinformation networks

The Centre has directed major social media platforms to proactively identify and remove networks spreading fake paper leak claims and unverified exam-related content

Meta and Google fund US kids' groups, as critics warn of social media risk

Backed by tens of millions of dollars from the tech giants, these organizations delivered lessons about personal responsibility to hundreds of thousands of children and parents

Best of BS Opinion: Manufacturing ambition, the next IT state and more

From manufacturing reforms and Bengal's industrial future to Japan ties, wildlife conflict and digital culture, today's commentaries examine India's evolving challenges

Odisha set to introduce hate speech law with jail term up to 7 years

Proposed Odisha Hate Speech and Hate Crime Act, 2026 aims to curb rising communal violence, with stringent penalties and coverage of both offline and digital spaces

AI labels on content: Curbing misinformation or adding compliance load?

MeitY plans mandatory labels for AI-made content across platforms, raising questions on whether this can curb misinformation or increase compliance burden for platforms and creators

Turkiye passes bill restricting social media access for children under 15

Turkish lawmakers passed a bill late Wednesday that includes restricting access to social media platforms for children under 15, state media reported. The legislation is the latest in a global trend to protect young people from dangerous online activity. Its passage comes a week after a 14-year-old boy killed nine students and a teacher at a middle school in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkiye, in a gun attack. Police are investigating the online activity of the perpetrator, who also died, in a bid to uncover his motivation for the attack. The bill will force social media platforms to install age-verification systems, provide parental control tools and require companies to rapidly respond to content deemed harmful, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must now accept the bill within 15 days for it to pass into law. He spoke in the wake of the Kahramanmaras killings of the need for to mitigate the online risks to children's safety and privacy.

Japan mulls social media age limits as global push for tighter curbs grows

Specific age thresholds were not discussed, with some experts noting that uniform age limits may not be the best approach given differences in risks associated with each platform

Meta to track employee activity on computers to train its AI agents: Report

Meta may track employee mouse and keyboard activity to train AI agents, aiming to improve how systems handle real-world computer tasks, though privacy concerns remain

Why Lenskart faced backlash over dress code, and what has changed now

After online outrage over alleged grooming rules, the company apologises and rolls out a revised style guide addressing concerns around religious symbols