Social Media
Stories related to how government agencies use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to engage with residents, as well as the policies that govern social media practices for the public sector. Includes coverage of the impact of social media companies on government.
Los Angeles school officials — fed up with kids distracted by social media and concerned about abuses such as cyber bullying — are poised to join a growing number of school systems across the country.
A high school biology teacher in Arizona says he will not be returning to the classroom next year, in part because he found it so draining to pour his heart into students whose attention was consumed by mobile apps.
A ninth-grade teacher at Science Leadership Academy in Philadelphia saw only positives to keeping phones out of reach during class, and students themselves attested to their improved concentration and engagement.
An "away-for-the-day" policy, which required sixth-grade students to have their cellphones turned off and out of sight for the entirety of the school day, led to "less drama, less bullying and less harassment."
One bill will prohibit social media companies from providing "addictive" content feeds to minors without parent consent, and the other will prohibit websites from processing a minor's personal data without consent.
Eric Goldman, associate dean of research at Santa Clara University School of Law, assesses concerns around the impending TikTok ban or buyout. It faces significant First Amendment challenges, he said.
The San Francisco company described in a blog post how its chatbots have already been misused to post political spam and generate entire articles. It also described steps it is taking to stop these practices.
Social media platforms may be held financially liable for harm caused to California’s minors if a court finds that they knowingly offered products or design features that resulted in harm to minors.
Two bills on Internet safety and privacy for children that are now before the New York state Legislature have fierce opposition from tech companies. But Gov. Kathy Hochul said their passage is her “priority.”
State legislators have agreed on what should be done about protecting residents from artificial intelligence, and against the use of deepfakes in elections. Proposed laws taking action on each have gone to Gov. Jared Polis for his signature.
