Instagram, operated by Meta, will implement a PG-13 style rating system for teen accounts to enhance parental controls and restrict harmful content, starting in the US, UK, Australia, and Canada, with plans to expand globally. The new rules will limit exposure to inappropriate language, risky stunts, and substances, aligning social media safety measures with familiar movie standards, though critics question their effectiveness.
Governor Newsom signed legislation to enhance protections for children online, including AI safeguards, age verification, social media warnings, and penalties for deepfake pornography, reinforcing California's leadership in safeguarding kids amid technological innovation.
Instagram plans to test a new "nudity protection" feature to prevent sextortion, automatically blurring detected nude images and providing warnings for users under 18. The platform will also push messages reminding users to be cautious when sending sensitive photos and offer support resources. This comes amid increasing efforts to regulate social media and concerns about online child safety, with Instagram emphasizing its commitment to protecting young users and taking severe action against sextortion. The new feature has been applauded by experts and will roll out in the U.S. in the coming weeks and globally in the coming months.
Instagram is testing a new feature to automatically blur nudity in direct messages as part of its efforts to protect young people from sexual extortion and other forms of "image abuse." The feature will be turned on by default for users under 18 and will encourage people to think twice before sending nude images. The platform is also working on technology to identify accounts potentially engaging in sexual extortion scams and taking measures to prevent criminals from connecting with young people, including hiding teens from potential sextortion accounts.
An 11-year-old boy died after attempting the viral "chroming" TikTok challenge at a sleepover, leading to a suspected cardiac arrest. "Chroming" involves inhaling volatile substances as recreational drugs and has serious health risks, including suffocation and cardiac arrest. The boy's family is calling for stricter social media regulations and even suggested shutting down platforms like TikTok for users under 16 to prevent further tragedies. This incident has sparked concerns about social media safety, leading to discussions in the United States Senate about the need for stricter regulations through the Kids Online Safety Act.
TikTok responded to the death of a 13-year-old Ohio boy who overdosed while participating in the “Benadryl challenge” on its platform, stating that it had “never seen this type of content trend” and had blocked searches on the topic for years. The social media platform’s response comes days after Jacob Stevens died after spending nearly a week on a ventilator. The teen was at home with friends, who were recording him, when he took more than a dozen Benadryl pills as part of the challenge. TikTok expressed sympathy for Stevens’ family and emphasized that the platform prohibited this type of content. However, the assertion that TikTok has never seen this type of content go viral on its platform is hard to believe, as dangerous dares like the Benadryl challenge have appeared and reappeared many times in recent years.
