May 24 Looksmaxxing may point to deeper body image issues in young men, mental health expert says By Jordyn Tovey, The Conversation A mental health professional explains how sensationalizing the extreme behaviors associated with “looksmaxxing,” rather than treating them as symptoms of mental health issues, can prevent boys and young men from receiving the care they need. Continue reading
May 20 A Tennessee man was jailed over his Charlie Kirk social media comments. Now he's won a $835,000 settlement By R.J. Rico, Associated Press The 61-year-old retired police officer spent 37 days behind bars before authorities dropped the felony charge against him in October. Continue reading
Apr 13 WATCH: Trump says he doesn't owe Pope Leo an apology after attacking him for comments on Iran By Will Weissert, Josh Boak, Nicole Winfield, Associated Press President Donald Trump refused to apologize to Pope Leo XIV on Monday after criticizing the pontiff for his opposition to the war in Iran — and he sought to explain away a now-deleted social media post depicting himself as Jesus… Continue reading
Apr 07 Fact-checking Trump health rumors over Easter weekend By Maria Ramirez Uribe, Loreben Tuquero, PolitiFact Social media users spread an unsupported claim that roads were closed around Walter Reed Medical Center. Continue reading
Mar 27 Austria plans to ban children under 14 from social media, joining several other countries By Associated Press Australia in 2024 took the lead, becoming the first country to eject children under 16 from social media with the intention of protecting them from harmful content and excessive screen time. Continue reading
Mar 26 Watch 7:15 Germany considers banning social media for most children By Malcom Brabant The debate over social media use by teens is raging on. In the U.S., Meta and Google were just handed back-to-back losses in lawsuits against them. Germany is looking to ban social media, or at least make it harder to… Continue watching
Mar 25 Watch 7:38 Jury finds Meta and YouTube liable in landmark youth addiction case By John Yang, Jackson Hudgins In a span of less than 24 hours, juries have returned historic verdicts in a pair of high-profile lawsuits that accuse big tech companies of putting children and teens in harm's way on their social media platforms. John Yang discussed… Continue watching
Mar 25 Watch 8:09 How Australia's pioneering social media ban is impacting teens By Stephanie Sy, Maea Lenei Buhre Blowback to social media and its effects on young people are reverberating across the globe. Many countries have announced plans to enact measures restricting social media access for children and teens. Australia was the first to implement a ban last… Continue watching
Mar 25 Instagram and YouTube found liable in landmark social media addiction trial in California By Kaitlyn Huamani, Barbara Ortutay, Associated Press A jury found both Meta and YouTube liable in a first-of-its-kind lawsuit that aimed to hold social media platforms responsible for harm to children using their services. Continue reading
Mar 25 What's next in social media legal battles after a New Mexico jury finds Meta platforms harm children By Barbara Ortutay, Kaitlyn Huamani, Associated Press This year, several state and federal court cases are heading to trial, and while the details may vary, they all seek to hold companies responsible for what happens on their platforms. Continue reading