Social Media Apps

India records 65 internet shutdowns in 2025, among top globally: Report

Access Now report shows India continues to be among leading countries enforcing internet shutdowns, with 65 instances recorded during 2025

Meta tests Instagram Plus subscription with additional features: Report

Reportedly, Meta is testing Instagram Plus, a paid plan with features like anonymous Story viewing, custom audience lists, and Story boosts, as it explores new subscription-based revenue options

Best of BS Opinion: Iran conflict gives India a chance for energy reform

From the US-Iran conflict's global fallout to social media accountability, India's energy challenges and corporate law reforms, today's BS Opinion offers a wide-ranging policy perspective

Meta, Google lose landmark case. Are kids paying the mental health cost?

With Meta and Google found liable in a US case, experts warn addictive app design may worsen anxiety, depression and attention issues, especially among young users

How Meta, YouTube were found 'negligent' in social media addiction lawsuit

A Los Angeles jury ruled that Meta and YouTube were negligent in designing addictive platforms that harmed a young user, marking a landmark decision amid social media addiction concerns

Govt may cut content takedown compliance timeline to 1 hour from 3 hours

The government is considering reducing the content takedown timeline to one hour from three, subject to stakeholder consultations and implementation feedback from intermediaries

Instagram now lets you reorder carousel posts after publishing: How to use

Instagram now allows users to reorder carousel posts after publishing, making it easier to fix sequence mistakes without deleting posts, though adding new media is still not allowed

Threat to fair trial: SC expresses concern over cops posting videos online

The Supreme Court has expressed its concern over the trend of people instantly uploading videos shot on mobile phone on social media and said that such activities pose a serious threat to a fair trial. The remark was made by a bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi on Friday. The bench was hearing a PIL that alleged that police upload videos and photographs of the accused on social media and create a bias in people's minds. The PIL argued that the court, in another case, had already asked the states to frame guidelines for media briefing by the police, and it would cover social media posts as well. The bench suggested the petitioner Hemendra Patel to await the outcome of those guidelines, and agreed with senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appearing for Patel, that every person nowadays with a mobile phone has become media. The senior counsel flagged the recent trend of police posting the images of accused persons being ...

Instagram adds AI voice effects for voice notes in DMs: Step-by-step guide

Instagram now lets users add AI voice effects to voice notes in DMs, making chats more interactive by allowing recipients to reuse the same effects in replies

WhatsApp's 'Guest' chats could soon let you message non-users: What is it

WhatsApp's Guest chats feature lets users reach non-WhatsApp users through secure links, enabling simple, temporary, end-to-end encrypted messaging without app installation

Meta revises Facebook rules to curb copied content in Feed, Reels and more

Meta said that it is prioritising original content on Facebook Feed and Reels while reducing the reach of copied posts and adding new tools to help creators report impersonation

Instagram tests clickable links in post captions for paid users: Report

Meta is testing clickable links in Instagram post captions for Meta Verified subscribers, a move that could reduce users' reliance on "link in bio" tools like Linktree

Meta lays out roadmap for in-house AI chips to power expanding data centers

The new chips are part of the company's Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) program and the first of the new chips, called the MTIA 300 is in use

Instagram down: Multiple users report problems accessing app, loading feed

Instagram is down for several users, with many reporting problems accessing direct messages while chat themes disappeared from conversations during the disruption

Idea is not to ban social media but regulate it for teens: Priyank Kharge

Priyank Kharge says the move targets excessive screen time and online risks for children, stressing stakeholder consultations and age-verification challenges before framing guidelines

Your WhatsApp chats may soon get refreshed with updated chat bubbles

Reportedly, WhatsApp is rolling out redesigned chat bubbles in the latest Android beta, introducing softer, fully rounded message bubbles and a refreshed interface for text, images and videos

Karnataka's plan to ban social media for teens needs review: MeitY secy

MeitY Secretary S Krishnan says social media and online gaming fall under the Centre's jurisdiction as it examines state proposals to ban teen access; consultations on DPDP Act compliance window conti

Karnataka proposes social media ban for children under 16 in Budget

Karnataka has proposed banning social media use for children under 16, with Andhra Pradesh and the Centre weighing similar curbs as concerns grow over digital addiction and harmful content

Karnataka social media ban: Meta says it should cover all apps teens use

Karnataka proposes banning social media for children below 16 in its 2026-27 budget; Meta says restrictions should apply uniformly across apps

Siddaramaiah announces social media ban for kids below 16 yrs in Karnataka

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said that usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16 and strict action will be taken to prevent drug abuse in schools, colleges and universities. Presenting the state budget for 2026-27, he assured that 15,000 vacant posts of teachers in schools and colleges will be filled next fiscal. "With the objective of preventing adverse effects of increasing mobile usage on children, usage of social media will be banned for children under the age of 16," he said. He announced that a grant of Rs 565 crore will be provided for the construction of new rooms and repair works in government primary, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges, Rs 75 crore for the construction of toilets and Rs 25 crore for the procurement of furniture in schools. A grant of Rs 125 crore will be made for the maintenance of government primary schools, high schools, and Pre-University Colleges. Stressing that schools, colleges and universities