Social Media

Why 'storyselling' is replacing traditional advertising narratives

Why Ads That Don't Look Like Ads Are Winning

Datanomics: Social media platforms acting tougher on suicide content

Despite prominent incidents like the abuse targeted at Judge Khan, cases of bullying and harassment actually fell from 2 per cent to 1 per cent over the same period

Trump's media firm plans paid high-speed access to Truth Social posts

President Donald Trump's media company is planning to charge for special high-speed access to Truth Social posts, including possibly his own affecting national security and financial markets. The move announced Thursday would allow Wall Street trading firms and other institutions to get news from Truth Social contributors in milliseconds so they could profit off subsequent moves in stocks, bonds and interest rates. Called Truth PSI, it would mimic paid access at other platforms with one key difference: The most popular Truth Social poster is the president himself and, as the biggest shareholder of the public traded parent company, would directly benefit. "He's selling expedited, privileged access to information about what he is doing as president," said Kathleen Clark of Washington University School of Law and an expert in government conflicts of interest rules. "It's yet more brazen corruption, an improper exploitation of government power to enrich himself." The Trump family compan

European Union may propose a law curb children's access to social media

The EU is joining a growing global movement to restrict children's access to social media over mental health and safety concerns

Govt examining Meta's reply over child abuse ads on Instagram: IT secy

Meta's reply to the government notice over child sexual abuse material (CSAM) ads on Instagram has been received by Meity and is being examined, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Monday, adding that appropriate action will be taken after examination. The government had issued a stern notice to Meta recently on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram. MeitY (Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology) had ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM, and demanded a detailed explanation bound to a deadline. Within a few days of the notice, Meta outlined its efforts to combat child sexual abuse material (CSAM) across its apps, highlighting AI-powered detection and large-scale enforcement actions, and, in a blogpost, promised to continue investment in technology and resources to keep young people safe and strengthen its ad review processes. Krishnan said Monday that Meta's reply to the

Meta challenges US jury verdict in teen social media addiction case

Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has appealed the verdict of a landmark social media addiction lawsuit in Los Angeles, challenging the jury's determination that the company designed its platforms to hook young users without concern for their well-being. Lawyers representing Meta filed a notice of appeal Tuesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The lawyers will provide their arguments related to the appeal in subsequent court filings. The case centred on a 20-year-old woman who said she became addicted to social media as a child and that it worsened her mental health struggles. The jury found that negligence by both Meta and Google-owned YouTube, which was also a defendant in the case, was a substantial factor in causing harm to the young woman, identified in court only by her initials, KGM, and her first name, Kaley. The jury awarded her USD 3 million in damages and recommended an additional USD 3 million in punitive damages. Her lead attorney, Mark Lanier,

'Digital platforms must implement prevention by design to prevent CSEAM'

Experts urge internet platforms to adopt prevention-by-design and stronger AI systems to curb child sexual exploitation material and improve online child safety

Railways suspends TTE after viral 'Honeymoon Suite' first AC coach video

Unauthorised decoration of a First AC cabin for a newlywed couple has triggered an inquiry, with Indian Railways calling it a serious breach of protocol

Govt to decide next steps after Meta responds on CSEAM issue: IT secretary

The government will await Meta's formal reply to notice served over Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, IT Secretary S Krishnan said on Thursday, adding that a view will be taken basis the response given by the social media company. The government had issued notice to Meta on Saturday over the issue, with Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordering Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had directed MeitY officials to summon Meta over Instagram ads allegedly promoting child sexual abuse material; the ministry demanded an explanation and information from the company on action that had been taken. Within days of the notice, Meta published a blog outlining its efforts to combat child sexual abuse material across its apps, highlighting AI-powered detection and large-scale enforcement actions. It also promised to continue investment in technolog

Enhance monitoring: Social media needs stronger safeguards to protect kids

MeitY's action against Meta over CSAM ads highlights the need for stronger AI oversight, platform accountability and stricter safeguards for online child safety

Statsguru: Childhood on digital screen amid curbs on social media access

UK plans to ban social media for under-16s by 2027, joining global efforts as India flags rising screen time, cyber risks and calls for stricter digital age controls

Govt issues notice to Meta on child sexual abuse material in Instagram ads

The government has issued a stern notice to Meta on Child Sexual Exploitative and Abuse Material (CSEAM) in paid advertisements on Instagram, sources said on Sunday. The government has issued the notice on Saturday evening. "MeitY has ordered Instagram to disable all ads and content promoting and facilitating access to CSEAM," the source said. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has also demanded a detailed explanation within 7 days.

IT Ministry summons Meta executives over ads promoting CSAM in India

Meta executives meet IT ministry officials over WhatsApp username issue

Meta loses bid to dismiss US states' lawsuit over child addiction claims

US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in Oakland, California, denied ‌Meta's motion to dismiss claims based on deception, unfair practices ​and violations of the federal act

The Seven Rules of Trust: Jimmy Wales' case for trust in a divided world

In The Seven Rules of Trust, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales argues that trust is a practical skill that enables cooperation, strong institutions and lasting success

US lags in social media restrictions for kids, but a reform push is growing

Amy Neville describes Kristin Bride as her "soulmate." But the day that forged their bond - June 23, 2020 - was the worst of each of their lives. Both Bride and Neville lost their teen sons that day. Their kids lived a thousand miles apart and never met, but they both died from harms related to their social media use. When the two mothers met, early in their advocacy work to protect other kids, Bride said she had felt "totally alone." But they have since seen the online child safety movement blossom, with scores of other parents who lost kids pursuing stronger social media safeguards and legislation to protect children online. With that momentum, advocates say the tide seems to be turning. A pair of landmark jury verdicts this year showed a way forward for holding tech companies accountable. And while the U.S. is nowhere near embracing social media bans for children like those seen from Australia to Indonesia, a push for regulation is simmering again in Congress. "Moving forward fo

A Wikipedia founder is barred from editing articles on the site

Wikipedia has banned co-founder Larry Sanger from editing after ruling that his efforts to influence internal votes violated community policies

Zuckerberg eyeing prediction markets, Meta to create Polymarket-like app

Meta is developing a prediction-market app modelled on Polymarket and Kalshi as Zuckerberg seeks new avenues for growth beyond Facebook and Instagram

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