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A startup called iLands is deploying AI bots with human-sounding names like Ren, Timmy, and Jackie that send unsolicited messages to Mastodon administrators asking permission to create accounts, and to writers offering to pay roughly $25 for citations of their work. Several admins say the bots first attempted to sign up without asking and were blocked before switching to polite written requests.
Rapper and activist Vic Mensa told Fast Company that his willingness to be openly vulnerable, both personally and politically, is what drove the viral success of his 'Orange Tree' video series. He also discussed the real-world costs he has faced for speaking out on social and political issues through his platform.
Jacob Komarow started selling baklava on New York City streets in 2021 while six months into recovery from drug addiction, building a mobile business called Good Baklava that operates from vans, pop-up stands and online orders rather than a fixed storefront. A viral moment handing out free pastries near Madison Square Garden and a subsequent New York Times profile drove explosive growth, with monthly revenue averaging over $20,000 and peaking near $70,000.
Governments are increasingly stepping in to curb youth social media use after years of relying on parents, schools and platform self-regulation, which proved insufficient. Australia became the first country to enact a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under 16, covering ten platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube, while exempting messaging and gaming services like WhatsApp, Discord and Roblox. The law requires platforms to take reasonable steps to verify age and prevent account creation, though it does not restrict viewing public content without logging in.
Artificial intelligence now underpins everyday tools, from curating social media feeds to identifying people in photos and speeding up medical research. The growing popularity of chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT has intensified scrutiny of AI's energy consumption, ethical pitfalls and handling of personal data. Warnings that increasingly capable systems could eventually pose a danger to humanity have fueled demands for stricter oversight and a more cautious pace of development.
The Honey Deuce, a vodka-and-lemonade cocktail sold at the US Open since 2007, has become a viral social-media fixture every fall, prompting other beverage brands to try to engineer similarly buzzy signature drinks. Its staying power predates modern platforms like Instagram and TikTok, yet it continues to dominate seasonal online chatter tied to the tennis tournament.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed multiple bills targeting tech risks to children, including fines up to $1 million per child for negligent social media platforms, a ban on addictive feeds for users under 16, mandatory risk assessments for AI chatbot operators, and an opt-out option for school-issued laptops. Separately, Newsom signed AI oversight measures backed by Anthropic that establish rules for independent safety evaluations of AI models and create a registry of financially independent auditors.
An Instagram executive argued that most users don't actually want their feed shown in strict time order, despite frequent requests for the option. The comment comes as Australian regulators move toward rules that would require platforms to give users control over how their feeds are sorted.
A White House spokesperson told The New York Times that Truth Social is the 'most powerful and popular' social media platform in the world, even though data shows it trails far behind giants like YouTube, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram in monthly users. Similarweb data cited by the NYT shows Truth Social's monthly visitors fell 36 percent in July compared to a year earlier, averaging around 25 million visits this year versus 28 million last year.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills, including AB 1709 and SB 1119 (Adam's Law), that ban addictive social media features like autoplay and algorithmic feeds for users under 16 and impose new safety requirements on AI companion chatbots. Large platforms could face penalties up to $1 million per child for negligent harm, and companies must conduct independent audits, risk assessments, and provide crisis support and parental notification for at-risk minors.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen bills into law on Thursday aimed at protecting minors online. The measures target addictive design features on social media platforms and impose new restrictions on AI-driven chatbots that interact with children.
Governor Gavin Newsom signed a package of bills regulating how minors interact with social media platforms and AI chatbots in California. The chatbot rules impose time limits, mandate mental health safeguards and self-harm protocols, require parental notifications, and mandate independent child safety audits with legal liability for noncompliant companies. Separately, social media platforms must block users under 16 from accessing features deemed 'addictive,' including autoplay, notifications and personalized algorithmic feeds.