United States Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a new advisory on Tuesday morning, warning that social media can negatively impact the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents and may be contributing to a youth mental health crisis. “The most common question parents ask me is, ‘is social media safe for my kids’. The answer…

Three Alabama school districts have filed lawsuits against the major social media platforms alleging them to have created a mental health crisis among children. “The harm created by social media companies has strained already limited school resources as educators attempt to combat the widespread problems caused by social media addiction,” said Joseph VanZandt, co-lead counsel…

Children are increasingly turning to social media for news and “generally believe” what they discover online is true, according to a new study by Britain’s communications regulator Ofcom. Many children watch CBBC Newsround at school but very few watch mainstream news programmes at home, the study found. CBBC Newsround is a BBC news channel for…

Social media, Snapchat in particular, may be making it easier for young people to purchase lethal pills, a congressional roundtable was told on Jan. 25. Snapchat is known for an app that automatically deletes messages after the receiver reads them, making it possible for drug dealers to take advantage of that feature, witnesses said during…

The U.S. economy posts strong growth in the fourth quarter, but signs point to a weak handover to 2023. Domestic demand rose at its slowest pace in 2-1/2 years. California voters are getting a chance to overturn a fast-food law. Opponents argue the law will drive up food prices. Snapchat is under fire. It’s a popular…

Snapchat is under fire. It’s a popular place for drug dealers to sell to children, who sometimes overdose and die. Lawmakers are discussing how to solve the problem. The U.S. economy posts strong growth in the fourth quarter, but signs point to a weak handover to 2023. Domestic demand rose at its slowest pace in 2.5 years….

Social media are driving youngsters to have a low sense of self-worth and be dissatisfied with their appearances, according to a study published by London-based mental health charity stem4 on Jan. 3. “Social media is definitely negatively affecting me. As young people, we constantly compare ourselves to good-looking people online. On sites like TikTok, the…

Seven of the world’s largest Big Tech firms have been told to do better in tackling online child sexual exploitation by the Australian government after a report undertaken by the eSafety Commissioner found their response inadequate. Apple, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Snap, Microsoft, WhatsApp, Skype, and Omegle were reprimanded by eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, who…

Apps such as Snapchat and Telegram have become the “preferred” communications for gangs plotting murders and other violence, according to a report by London’s Violent Reduction Unit (VRU) published on Tuesday. The VRU, which was set up in 2019 by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, commissioned researchers from the Behavioural Insights Team to analyse…

The Food and Drug Administration greenlights updated booster shots for COVID-19. What’s new about them? More tech layoffs: Snapchat’s parent company, laying off a big chunk of its global workforce—as it struggles to grow sales. Over two dozen states cutting taxes and returning money to people after bringing in more than they actually need. Who doesn’t…