social media

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TikTok Search Prompts Expose Teens to Adult Content: Report

Watchdog says algorithms steered minors to explicit material, despite safeguards

(Newser) - A new investigation claims that TikTok's search algorithms have been steering 13-year-old users toward explicit content, even when using the app's "restricted mode," which is designed to filter out inappropriate material, per CNN . The watchdog group Global Witness set up seven accounts in the UK,...

Facebook Post Brings Death Sentence in Tunisia

Court finds 51-year-old insulted president and spread false information

(Newser) - A court in Tunisia has sentenced a 51-year-old man to death over Facebook posts deemed offensive to President Kais Saied and a threat to state security, his lawyer said Friday. The defendant, who has not been identified, was convicted on Wednesday of three charges: attempting to overthrow the state, insulting...

Teens Charged After Catastrophic Car Surfing Stunts

Authorities hope the Pennsylvania cases will deter risky social media challenges

(Newser) - Two Pennsylvania teens are facing criminal charges after separate TikTok-inspired car surfing stunts left a 17-year-old dead and a young woman with irreversible injuries. The two incidents, which prosecutors say were unrelated, both occurred in Northampton County, 80 miles north of Philadelphia. In the first case, David Nagy, 17,...

Murder Trial Grips France Despite No Body, Little Evidence

Circumstantial evidence and online theories fuel national fascination

(Newser) - A high-profile murder trial has gripped France, not because of shocking violence or dramatic confessions, but for its stubborn central mystery: the absence of a body. Monday saw the start of the trial of Cédric Jubillar, a 38-year-old painter-decorator from southern France who is accused of killing his...

Abortion Advocates Warn Online Content Is Vanishing

Clinics, others say abortion-themed posts are being censored, even if they don't violate platform policy

(Newser) - Clinics, advocacy groups, and individuals who share abortion-related content online say they're seeing informational posts being taken down, even if the posts don't clearly violate platform policies. The groups, in Latin America and the US, are denouncing what they see as censorship, even in places where abortion is...

After Meeting With Xi, Trump Has News on TikTok

Trump, WH official say 'progress' has been made on deal; Trump also says he'll meet Xi next month

(Newser) - Trump talked with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone on Friday in a push to finalize a deal to allow TikTok to keep operating in the US. According to the Wall Street Journal , that deal was approved, with a group of investors set to take control of the company's...

Wearing a Michael Vick Jersey, NFL QB Posed With a Dog

Cardinals' Kyler Murray faces backlash for posing with dog while wearing shirt tied to disgraced QB

(Newser) - Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray apologized on Wednesday after drawing criticism for sharing photos online of himself in a Michael Vick jersey while posing with his dog. "I saw how it affected people and ... decided to take it down," Murray said at a press conference , adding, "...

School Drops Student Over Video of Kirk's Death

Abbott had called for expulsion by Texas State

(Newser) - Texas State University has expelled a student after a video surfaced showing him mocking the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk during a campus memorial. The footage, shared widely online, depicts the student imitating Kirk's fatal shooting, including falling to the ground, and making crude comments. Texas Gov....

US Tennis Star Ruffles Feathers With Her Take on Chinese Food

Taylor Townsend apologizes after online backlash to her mocking of traditional dishes

(Newser) - American tennis star Taylor Townsend says she will do "better" in the future after sparking outrage online for her take on traditional Chinese dishes. Townsend, who is in Shenzhen for the Billie Jean King Cup Finals, posted videos to Instagram in which she expressed shock at dishes made...

Trump Extends TikTok Deadline Yet Again
Trump Gives TikTok
Another 90 Days
Sep 16, 2025 4:10 PM CDT

Trump Gives TikTok Another 90 Days

With deal reportedly close, he extends deadline for a 4th time

(Newser) - President Trump has hit pause yet again on the nationwide TikTok ban, granting the popular video-sharing app another 90-day reprieve with an executive order signed Tuesday. This marks the fourth time Trump has held off on enforcing a law that would kick TikTok out of the United States, buying more...

Meta Ordered to Reinstate Porn Star's Instagram
Porn Star Nabs a
Big Win Against Meta
Sep 15, 2025 11:08 AM CDT

Porn Star Nabs a Big Win Against Meta

Top Columbian court says Instagram ban was unlawful, orders policy changes

(Newser) - A top Colombian court has ordered Meta to overhaul its privacy policies after ruling the company unlawfully silenced a prominent adult film actor by shutting down her Instagram account. Esperanza Gomez, who'd amassed over 5 million followers, claimed her account was shut down without explanation after she posted...

The New Dividing Line: Posts About Charlie Kirk

Actors' praise for slain commentator has drawn criticism from their fans

(Newser) - Since the assassination of Charlie Kirk , it's become clear that there's "no way to talk about this issue without upsetting somebody," an expert on political and social interaction on online platforms said. Among the Americans who have learned that is Kristin Chenoweth. The Broadway star added...

Marines Recruiter Ousted Over Charlie Kirk Post

Pentagon warns troops over comments celebrating Kirk's assassination; other firings also emerge

(Newser) - A Marine Corps recruiter has been dismissed after sharing a social media post referring to the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a "racist man" who was "popped," following a wave of online scrutiny and even warnings from the Pentagon. The post, which circulated widely among...

Tennessee Dean, Others Fired Over Charlie Kirk Comments

Social media posts draw swift backlash

(Newser) - Middle Tennessee State University fired an assistant dean after she posted online that she had "zero sympathy" for Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist shot and killed Wednesday. The university's president, Sidney McPhee, cited the "inappropriate and callous comments" as inconsistent with the school's values and...

Croc Stunts by 'Real Tarzann' Don't Play Well in Australia

Queensland officials are investigating US influencer Mike Holston for wrestling reptiles

(Newser) - A US social media star is facing heat Down Under after posting videos of himself wrangling wild crocodiles in Queensland. Mike Holston—known as "The Real Tarzann" to his millions of followers —posted two viral clips: one featuring a tussle with a freshwater croc in shallow water,...

Police Open Fire on Gen Z Protest in Kathmandu

At least 19 were killed in protests against social media ban, corruption

(Newser) - Police in Nepal's capital opened fire Monday on demonstrators protesting a government attempt to regulate social media that blocked some of the world's largest platforms, including Facebook, X, and YouTube. At least 17 people were killed in Kathmandu and at least two others at protests elsewhere. The demonstrations...

JFK's Grandson Eyes Nadler's Congressional Seat

Schlossberg forms exploratory committee as Nadler exits House race

(Newser) - John F. Kennedy's grandson , Jack Schlossberg— a frequent critic of the Trump administration, including his own cousin , Robert F. Kennedy Jr.—is eyeing a congressional run in Manhattan, USA Today reports. Schlossberg announced Sunday that he has officially set up an exploratory committee to consider a run...

He Said He Was Stuck in Space, So She Opened Her Wallet
He Said He Was Stuck in Space,
So She Opened Her Wallet
in case you missed it
Sep 6, 2025 4:01 PM CDT

He Said He Was Stuck in Space, So She Opened Her Wallet

Scammer fools elderly Japanese woman with wild story, nabs nearly $7K

(Newser) - And you thought the AI-generated Brad Pitt scam was unbelievable. In a new case, an elderly Japanese woman was tricked out of thousands of dollars by a scammer claiming to be an astronaut stranded in space. The "romance scam" began in July when the two connected on social...

Fury Over CEO's Hat-Grab Directed at Wrong CEO

Social media mix-up targets a different Polish paving business after viral video

(Newser) - A Polish business owner woke up to a storm of digital outrage over a viral moment at the US Open—except he wasn't even there. Roman Szkaradek, who runs Drog-Bruk (with a hyphen) in Zgorzelec, Poland, found himself on the receiving end of angry messages and one-star reviews...

Kenya Probes Tourist Who Gave Beer to Elephant

Authorities investigate viral video taken at Kenyan wildlife conservancy

(Newser) - A video of a tourist pouring beer down an elephant's trunk at a Kenyan wildlife reserve has ignited outrage online and triggered multiple investigations into his actions, the BBC reports. The Spanish man, whose online profiles use the name "Skydive_Kenya," was filmed at Ol Jogi Conservancy...

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