Snapchat

While the $17.6 billion settlement Meta (Facebook) agreed to last week with 47 states and several U.S. territories might seem like a huge admission that the company’s addictive social media algorithms have been harming children, a close look at the details shows a lot left on the table.

New shocking details have emerged in charges against a 25-year-old New Jersey woman, including the revelation that her alleged victim was young enough to still be “in diapers.”

A 25-year-old New Jersey woman — identified in videos by a telltale “boobs” tattoo on her leg — was arrested on sex crimes charges this week after allegedly sexually assaulting a child and posting footage of the abuse on Snapchat.

A federal appeals court has ruled that Ohio can enforce legislation requiring children under 16 to obtain parental consent before using social media platforms, marking a significant development in state-level efforts to regulate minors’ online activity.

Snap, the parent company of social media platform Snapchat, has introduced new “Specs” augmented reality (AR) glasses on Tuesday with a $2,195 price point, as CEO Evan Spiegel positions the device as a potential successor to traditional smartphones. Both the stock market and social media users rejected the glasses.

Tech giant Cisco Systems has revealed plans to eliminate 4,000 positions as the networking technology company shifts its strategic focus toward AI infrastructure and related technologies. The layoffs come on the heels of the company announcing record-breaking quarterly sales.

Snap, the company behind popular social media platform Snapchat, is eliminating roughly 1,000 positions, representing 16 percent of its workforce, as chief executive Evan Spiegel warns that the company is facing a “crucible moment” in its pursuit of lasting profitability.

A 24-year-old Indiana pastor’s son was sentenced to prison on Friday after pleading guilty in regard to a child exploitation case.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, China’s TikTok, and Google’s YouTube are set to face their first courtroom trial this week over allegations that their platforms have contributed to a youth mental health crisis through addictive design features.

Snap, the parent company of social media platform Snapchat has reached a settlement agreement in a major social media addiction lawsuit, avoiding what would have been the first trial testing claims that tech platforms deliberately designed products to addict young users.

Reddit has launched a legal battle against Australia’s world-leading ban on social media for users under the age of 16, filing a case in the high court just two days after the country implemented age restrictions on its platform.

One in four British teenagers have used an AI chatbot for mental health support in the past year, a study from the Youth Endowment Fund (YEF) found.

New York City has filed a lawsuit against major social media companies, accusing them of contributing to a youth mental health crisis through the design and operation of their platforms.

The FTC is investigating seven AI companies, including Google, Meta, and OpenAI, to determine how they protect children and teenagers who use their AI chatbots as companions.

A new study led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has found that increased social media use among pre-teens is associated with a massive 35 percent rise in symptoms of depression.

Texas is on the verge of implementing the most stringent social media ban for minors in the United States, with a new bill making its way through the state legislature.

A coalition of teen and adult activists against “digital abuse” targeting youth took to Washington, DC, on Tuesday with Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) standing with them to support the creation of legislation and a nationwide movement.

Australia is rushing to get a new law banning children under 16 from using most social media platforms through parliament.

Canadian police are disrupting a growing number of Islamic State terrorist plots in major cities, a resurgence driven by ISIS recruiting young Canadians to its ranks.

Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has debuted a Snapchat advertisement targeting young voters despite being banned from the platform. The campaign had refrained from advertising on Snapchat up to this point due to the account ban.

A federal judge has ruled that major tech companies must face lawsuits brought by school districts alleging their social media apps have contributed to a mental health crisis among students. The lawsuits target Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, Google, China’s TikTok, and Snapchat.

Vice President Kamala Harris is leaning on celebrities such as pop music superstars Usher and Taylor Swift to increase her support in the final stretch of the 2024 presidential campaign. In a press release on Friday, the Harris-Walz campaign revealed

Vice President Kamala Harris been dominating Snapchat in the battle for young voters, partly due to the platform’s refusal to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s personal account while simultaneously begging his campaign to advertise on the platform.

A former Texas preschool employee has pleaded guilty to paying two minor boys $200 to record child pornography after contacting them via Snapchat, according to prosecutors.

The newly unsealed complaint of the lawsuit filed by the New Mexico Attorney General against Snap, the company behind the Snapchat social media platform, reveals that employees were well aware of the app’s dangers to children, including sextortion, illicit gun sales, and addictive features.

Social media platforms including Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook and Instagram, China’s TikTok, and Snapchat have become dangerous marketplaces for the sale of deadly fake pills laced with fentanyl, contributing to a growing epidemic of overdose deaths among young Americans.

The New Mexico attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Snap, accusing the company of fostering an environment on its Snapchat app that enables the sexual exploitation and sextortion of children.

Snapchat is refusing to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account while asking the 45th president to advertise with the social media platform, according to the Trump campaign.

A Delaware private Catholic school teacher has been arrested for sending nude photos to a 14-year-old student on Snapchat, police said.

A Wisconsin man is accused of trying to groom a seventh-grade student for sex via Snapchat messages when he was a teacher in Kenosha.

A convicted sex offender is asking the Norwegian Supreme Court to declare that social media access is a human right.

Snapchat has adjusted its ‘Solar System’ feature, turning it off by default, in response to recent criticism and concerns over its potential negative impact on teens’ mental health and relationships. The Solar System feature serves as a friend-ranking tool, driving teen anxiety by making them worry about their social status. One teen explains, “It’s everyone’s biggest fear put onto an app.”

Ever wanted to know what it looks like to be hunted down by Mike Tyson? You probably haven’t, but you’re going to find out anyway!

Snapchat’s friend ranking feature, part of its paid subscription service, is exacerbating feelings of insecurity and anxiety among teenagers by quantifying their social status within their friend group. The feature is just another example of how Silicon Valley titans place tremendous pressure on today’s teens to be part of the “in crowd,” leading one teen to explain, “It’s everyone’s biggest fear put onto an app.”

Newly unsealed court documents from an ongoing class action lawsuit against Meta show that in 2016, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally directed executives to “figure out” how to track encrypted usage on competing apps like Snapchat, YouTube, and Amazon.