Page 8 - Social Media

Social media firms lose bid to stop expert testimony on how it harms youth

LA judge said testimony for all but one of 11 proposed witnesses could be presented at trial, but that all of the experts would be prohibited from discussing the intent of the social media companies

Expert lessons from a marketing pro

In this Manager’s Mantra episode, Ashish Tiwari shares his rich experience in marketing that spans across sectors. His suggestions can help you land into your dream marketing job

Trump says US has a buyer for TikTok; may need approval from Congress

The Trump administration has repeatedly declined to enforce a law requiring the app to shut down due to worries it would anger the app's millions of users and disrupt political communications

Brand value flickers for mid-tier celebs as influencers steal stage

A-list celebrities have not yet succumbed to the rise of influencers, as they continue to hold their own sway over audiences

Australia warns social media firms over age checks before ban on children

Australian authorities said Tuesday that social media platforms should not demand age verification for all account holders starting from December, when a ban on children under 16 having accounts goes into effect in the country. The government released guidelines on how platforms such as TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram should apply the world's first ban on children using social media from December 10. It says verifying the ages of all account holders would be unreasonable. We think it would be unreasonable if platforms reverified everyone's age, said Australia's eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who drafted the guidelines. Her use of the word reverified" suggested the platforms usually already had sufficient data to verify a user was older than 16. She said the platforms have targeting technology to focus on those under 16. "They can target us with deadly precision when it comes to advertising. Certainly they can do this around the age of a child, she ...

New York unveils draft rules to curb addictive social media feeds for kids

New York's attorney general on Monday proposed regulations for its crackdown on addictive social media feeds for children, including rules for verifying a user's age. The Stop Addictive Feeds Exploitation (SAFE) for Kids Act, passed last year, prohibits social media companies from showing feeds personalised by algorithms to users under 18 unless they have a parent's consent. Instead, feeds on apps like TikTok and Instagram would be limited to posts from accounts young users follow. The law also bars companies from sending notifications to users under 18 between midnight and 6 am. The proposed rules for implementing the provisions include standards for determining a user's age and parental consent. "Companies may confirm a user's age using a number of existing methods, as long as the methods are shown to be effective and protect users' data," Attorney General Letitia James' office said. Options for confirming a user is at least 18, for example, include requesting an uploaded image

Snapchat adds forever chats and group streaks for snappers: How it works

Snapchat rolls out Infinite Retention for saving chats and Group Streaks for collaborative streaks, giving users more control and flexibility in conversations

From Protests to choosing its leader: How social media is shaping Nepal

From mobilising the protests to choosing the interim prime minister - Discord, Bitchat became virtual control rooms

India's reliance on US software, cloud services poses economic risks: GTRI

India's reliance on US software, cloud services, and social media platforms poses a major economic and security vulnerability in times of geopolitical tensions, think tank GTRI said on Sunday. Washington is in a position to cut off services or access to data, disrupting banking, governance, and defence systems, while controlling public discourse through foreign platforms, it said. "India's economy and security are deeply reliant on US software, cloud, and social media platforms, creating a major vulnerability in times of geopolitical tension," the Global Trade Research Initiative (GTRI) said. To address this, the government should launch a "Digital Swaraj Mission", with sovereign cloud, indigenous OS (operating system), homegrown cybersecurity, and data-driven AI leadership at its core," GTRI founder Ajay Srivastava said. He added that Europe is already building sovereign cloud and enforcing the Digital Markets Act. China, too, has replaced foreign code in government, defence, and

Datanomics: Internet blocks rare in Nepal, not sole cause of Gen Z unrest

Globally, internet shutdowns have risen in the past decade, rising to 296 in 2024. India topped the list from 2016 to 2023

SC bans photos, reels, videography in high security zone of its premises

The Supreme Court has banned clicking photos, creating social media reels and videography within its main premises, declared as a high security zone. In a circular issued on September 10, the top court asked the media personnel to conduct interviews and live broadcast of news at the designated lawn area which is a low security zone. "Use of mobile phone for photography and videography is prohibited in the lawn of High Security Zone. Equipment such as camera, tripod, selfie-stick etc. used for videography, creating reels and clicking photographs shall be restricted in the High Security Zone, except for official use," the communication said. The circular added, "In case of violation of above guidelines by an Advocate, Litigant, Intern or a Law Clerk, concerned Bar Association or concerned State Bar Council shall take appropriate action against the violator as per their rules & regulations." In case of violation of the guidelines by a media personnel, their access to the high ...

Social media is teaching children how to use AI: How can teachers keep up?

These networks spread knowledge quickly but unevenly, and they rarely encourage reflection on deeper issues such as bias, surveillance or equity

India keeps close watch on Nepal crisis: Curfew, unrest and key updates

Late on Tuesday, the Nepal Army announced the deployment of army personnel and other security forces to maintain order following the Prime Minister's resignation

Nepal Army takes control of int'l airport amid social media ban protests

The Nepal Army on Tuesday took control of the Tribhuvan International Airport here after the agitators tried to enter its premises in the evening. Flight services at the airport were partially suspended in view of the protests. Air India, which operates six flights a day between New Delhi and Kathmandu, on Tuesday cancelled four flights. IndiGo and Nepal Airlines also cancelled their flights from Delhi to Kathmandu. The army also took control of Singhdurbar, the government's main secretariat building, after the protesters burnt houses inside the complex. The army entered the complex and took control after evacuating the protesters. The army also intervened after a group of agitators tried to vandalise the gate of the holy Pashupatinath Temple here. The Nepal Army earlier announced that it will take charge of security operations from 10 pm on Tuesday. In a statement issued by the Directorate of Public Relations and Information, the army said that some groups are taking undue advan

Nepal GenZ protests: PM Oli resigns, Parliament set afire amid clashes

Several other ministers, including the Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ramnath Adhikari, and Minister for Water Supply Pradeep Yadav, have resigned

Dashverse plans to release 100 microdramas in a few months, produced by AI

Dashverse will open Frameo.AI for creators, cutting costs and production time while scaling storytelling across India

Nepal internet curbs part of global trend to suppress online freedom

Nepal's crackdown on social media companies, which led to protests and police killing at least 19 people, is part of a yearslong decline of internet freedoms around the world as even democracies seek to curtail online speech. The Himalayan country's government said last week it was blocking several social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube because the companies failed to comply with a requirement that they register with the government. The ban was lifted Tuesday a day after the deadly protests. What's happening in Nepal mirrors this broader pattern of controlling the narrative and controlling of stories emerging from the ground, said Aditya Vashistha, an assistant professor of information science at Cornell University. This has happened several times in the neighbouring countries Pakistan and Bangladesh, he said. "So this is nothing new - in fact, I would say this is taken from the playbook, which is now very established, of trying to control social media narratives,

Nepal social media ban: Protestors defy curfew, vandalise govt offices

Amid growing calls for taking responsibility for the chaos, Oli called an all-party meeting at 6 pm at an undisclosed venue

Nepal's social media ban protest brings to light 'Nepo babies' debate

While a social media gag order triggered the 'Gen Z' protests, corruption and a 'nepo-kid' debate added fuel to the fire

Security tightened along Indo-Nepal border amid protests in Kathmandu

Additional checks and patrolling are being carried out to prevent any untoward incidents as tensions continue to rise across Nepal