French lawmakers urge social media ban for under-15s
French lawmakers urged a social media ban for under-15s and “digital curfew” for older minors Thursday, with massively popular short video platform TikTok the focus of renewed harsh government scrutiny. Imposing the ban and a 10 pm to 8 am curfew for 15- to 18-year-olds would “send a signal both to children and parents” that […]
Australia says social media ban will not age test all users
Australia will not require social media giants to verify the ages of all users under its ban on under-16s using the platforms, Canberra said Tuesday. But platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube are expected to take “reasonable steps” to stop children from accessing the apps, it said. Australia has been a leader in global […]
Major social media sites back online in Nepal after deadly protests
Nepal rolled back its social media ban on Tuesday, a day after at least 19 people were killed in protests demanding that the government lift its restrictions and tackle corruption. All major social media apps were working, an AFP reporter in Kathmandu said, as the government ordered a probe into the violence that saw police […]
Vatican embraces social media ‘digital missionaries’
Sister Albertine, a youthful French Catholic nun, stood outside the Vatican, phone in hand, ready to shoot more videos for her hundreds of thousands of followers online. The 29-year-old nun, whose secular name is Albertine Debacker, is one of hundreds of Catholic influencers in Rome for a Vatican-organised social media summit this week. The Vatican […]
Majority on Brazil court in favor of tougher social media rules
Brazil’s Supreme Court reached a majority Wednesday in favor of toughening social media regulation, in a groundbreaking case for Latin America on the spread of fake news and hate speech. The South American country’s highest court is seeking to determine to what extent companies such as X, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook are responsible for removing […]
Social media companies slam Australia’s under-16 ban
Social media giants on Friday hit out at a landmark Australian law banning them from signing up under-16s, describing it as a rush job littered with “many unanswered questions”. The UN children’s charity UNICEF Australia joined the fray, warning that it was no “silver bullet” and could push kids into “covert and unregulated” spaces online. […]
News media quit X over ‘disinformation’
News outlets have begun quitting X, formerly Twitter, once a favourite of global media but now accused of enabling the spread of disinformation under its owner, president-elect Donald Trump ally Elon Musk. Citing a “harsh and extreme” climate, Sweden’s newspaper of reference, the left-liberal Dagens Nyheter (DN), on Friday became third major media outlet to […]
Galder Varas Embarks on Groundbreaking Comedy Tour Across Latin America and the U.S.
“I owe more to TikTok and Instagram than to my mother.” Galder Varas, a Spanish comedian famous on social media, has fulfilled his followers’ wishes by organizing a tour through Latin America and the United States. Thanks to Nitantarde Productions, he will present ‘Esto no es un show’ starting on September 21st in 13 cities, a journey […]
Florida bans children under 14 from social media in sweeping new law
Children under 14 will be barred from joining social media in Florida from next year. Signed into law by governor Ron DeSantis, the legislation directs social media firms to delete the accounts of under-14s. Children aged 14 and 15 will also need parental consent before signing up for platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Companies who […]
Elon Musk reveals why he’s rebranding Twitter to X – as police disrupt company’s sign removal
Elon Musk has said the Twitter name “does not make sense” as he rebrands the platform into an “everything app” called X. The world’s richest man has not been shy of putting his own stamp on the site he bought for $44bn last October and has now embarked on the most dramatic change in its […]
