Internet news

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All 50 states have introduced bills to regulate digital media for kids. A new database tracks them

As of March 2026, every U.S. state had introduced at least one bill seeking to regulate social media or other digital platforms for people younger than 18. The wave of legislation would be difficult for anyone to keep track ...

Internet

Current privacy frameworks fall short for governing identity in immersive online worlds

Research published in the International Journal of Web-Based Communities has looked at how digital identity might be governed online, specifically in the so-called metaverse. The study found that current frameworks for digital ...

Internet

Older people's media literacy can be boosted in just 60 minutes—new study

Consider these scenarios.

Internet

Desktop browsing trends: Gmail first, everything else later

Time to check if you've got mail. Again.

Internet

French youth social media ban meets age check conundrum

France's parliament is weighing a social media ban for users under 15, following in the footsteps of Australia and Indonesia, although enforcement authorities face a puzzle over how to manage age checks.

Internet

EU to limit children's access to social media—gradually

Children should have "phased and gradual access" to social media, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday, as experts recommended that children under 13 use online platforms only under supervision.

Internet

Music industry launches AI-generated content labels

Several major music industry organizations on Friday unveiled a labeling system for content created with generative artificial intelligence that they would like to see widely adopted.

Internet

EU moves closer to kicking kids off social media

Restrictions on children's use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors' access to online platforms.

Internet

Google argues a forced sale of Ad Exchange is too risky

Alphabet Inc.'s Google has spent the past week in Virginia federal court seeking to persuade a judge that selling off its advertising exchange is too risky, technologically difficult and would disrupt the market.

Internet

California enacts AI safety law targeting tech giants

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law groundbreaking legislation requiring the world's largest artificial intelligence companies to publicly disclose their safety protocols and report critical incidents, state ...

Internet

Computer scientists are boosting US cybersecurity

As cyber threats grow more sophisticated by the day, UC Riverside researchers are making computing safer thanks to research that targets some of the internet's most pressing security challenges.

Internet

China penalizes popular app Xiaohongshu over content

China's internet regulator said on Thursday it had ordered "warnings and strict punishment" to bosses at popular social media app Xiaohongshu over its online content, slamming "trivial" and "negative" posts.

Internet

French lawmakers urge social media ban for under-15s

French lawmakers urged a social media ban for under-15s and "digital curfew" for older minors Thursday, with massively popular short video platform TikTok the focus of renewed harsh government scrutiny.

Internet

'Fueling sexism': AI 'bikini interview' videos flood internet

The videos are strikingly lifelike, featuring bikini-clad women conducting street interviews and eliciting lewd comments—but they are entirely fake, generated by AI tools increasingly used to flood social media with sexist ...