Page 13 - Social Media Apps

Pak to ban social media platforms for 6 days to control hate during Ramadan

After successfully blocking X, formerly Twitter, for over four months, the Pakistan government is now set to ban all social media platforms -- YouTube, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok -- for six days from July 13 to 18, citing the need to control "hate material" during the Islamic month of Ramadan. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz's cabinet committee on law and order has recommended banning of all social media platforms -- YouTube, X, WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, among others --during 6 to 11 Muharram (July 13-18) in Punjab, a province of over 120 million people, to "control hate material, misinformation to avoid sectarian violence", according to a Punjab government notification issued here late Thursday night. The Punjab government of Maryam Nawaz has requested her uncle Shehbaz Sharif's government at the Centre to notify the suspension of all social media platforms on internet for six days (July 13-18). Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir has already declared soci

No more cooing: India's own Twitter alternative Koo calls it quits

Indian alternative to X (formerly Twitter) has officially shut down, with founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka citing financial struggles as the main cause

Meta to end ban on the word 'shaheed' on oversight board's recommendations

The company has been criticized for years over its handling of content involving the West Asia

WhatsApp tests native in-app dialler in beta version for Android: Details

The in-app dialler in WhatsApp will allow users to make calls without saving the contact to address book first. It is currently being tested with select beta users and may roll out to everyone soon

Snapchat announces new safety features with a focus on teenage users

The company on Tuesday introduced the features on the platform with the aim of making it difficult for strangers to contact people randomly

Soon, only premium subscribers will be allowed to live stream on X: Details

The announcement was made via a post by the official (at)Live profile on X. There is no clear timeline announced about when the change will get implemented

Instagram introduces 'Close Friends on Live': What is it and how it works

Announced on June 20, Instagram's close friends on live feature is being rolled out globally. It will give the users an option to limit viewers to their live broadcast

New York guv signs bill to limit 'addictive' social media feeds for kids

New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed a bill that would allow parents to block their children from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm, a move to limit feeds critics argue are addictive. Under the legislation, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited for people under age 18 to posts from accounts they follow, rather than content suggested by an automated algorithm. It would also block platforms from sending minors notifications on suggested posts between midnight and 6 am. Both provisions could be turned off if a minor gets what the bill defines as verifiable parental consent. The law does not take effect immediately. State Attorney General Letitia James is now tasked with crafting rules to determine mechanisms for verifying a user's age and parental consent. After the rules are finalised, social media companies will have 180 days to implement the regulations. We can protect our kids. We can tell the companies that you are not

Why does the American Surgeon General want warning labels on social media?

Banning phones in schools to limited screen times at home: Vivek Murthy is advocating for proactive steps by all to safeguard mental health of the youth on social media platforms

WhatsApp will soon let you share quality media through default setting

Users will no longer have to manually change the resolution of photos and videos to HD quality every time they share it. The feature is available in latest version of WhatsApp

US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy calls for social media warning labels

For a long time, Murthy has been warning that social media can profoundly harm the mental health of youth, particularly adolescent girls

Elon Musk makes likes on posts private on X to boost engagement on platform

Private likes on X arrives after Elon Musk told the engineers working for the platform that he wanted to remove the tweet action buttons and wanted to shift focus to impressions

Elon Musk's X could start hiding likes on public posts from today: Report

Private likes are anticipated to be a default setting from today onwards on X. It will hide likes on others post by default but you will still be able to see likes count on your own post

New York Legislature moves to ban 'addictive' social media feeds for kids

The New York state Legislature on Friday passed a bill that would allow parents to block their kids from getting social media posts suggested by a platform's algorithm a regulation that tries to curtail feeds that critics argue are addicting to children. Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, is expected to sign it into law. The move comes amid heightened concern about social media use among children and an ever-unfolding push to regulate tech platforms in different ways at the state and federal levels. In practice, the bill would stop platforms from showing suggested posts to people under the age of 18, content the legislation describes as addictive. Instead, children would only get posts from accounts they follow. A minor could still get the suggested posts if he or she has what the bill defines as verifiable parental consent". It would also block platforms from sending notifications about suggested posts to minors between midnight and 6 am without parental consent. The legislation

Meta withheld information on Instagram, WhatsApp deals from regulators: FTC

In 2020, the antitrust agency sued Meta alleging that it monopolized the personal social networking market by buying up emerging rivals

Meta's Instagram tests YouTube-like ads that you cannot skip: Details here

Like ads on YouTube, Instagram ads will appear with a timer to display the duration of the advertisement. Users will be able to scroll the content feed only after the ad is completely watched

Musk's X formally allows adult content on platform with some restrictions

Earlier, X neither forbid nor allowed adult content on the platform. Now, it allows users to post and view consensually produced adult content in a bid to drive more users engagement on the platform

New York to restrict social media algorithms to control content for teens

Social media platforms have in recent years come under scrutiny for its addictive nature and impact on the youth

Meta's flagship app Facebook attracting most young adults in 3 years

Only about a third of US teens say they use Facebook, according to a survey last year by research organization Pew

Instagram expands 'limits' to help creators deal with unsolicited attention

Meta introduced the "limit Interaction" feature on Instagram in 2021 to help creators on the platform deal with online harassment. The feature, however, is now available for everyone