Child abuse material continues to surface on X despite Elon Musk’s promises
New reviews find X still struggles to remove child sexual abuse content, even though Musk pledged this as a top priority.
Researchers warn that social media can reveal sensitive details about users
A new research review warns that social media activity can reveal sensitive information users never deliberately share, including politics, religion and shopping habits.
Instagram scammers are holding creators’ accounts hostage with copyright strikes
Instagram creators are facing fake copyright complaints and ransom demands, with some paying scammers to restore suspended accounts while Meta promises additional protections.
Social media users in Australia might get freedom from algorithms. I want it for us all.
Australia's new draft law could let you switch off the algorithm on your social feed. Here's what it means, and why I hope every country follows suit.
Instagram will limit reach for AI influencers who skip AI-generated label on their profile
Instagram is renaming its AI creator label to AI-generated profile, and unlabeled accounts featuring fake humans will now see their reach cut.
Bluesky now has a feature to save you from accidentally going viral. I want it everywhere.
Bluesky launched a feature letting users opt out of its algorithmic Discover feed, stopping posts from being pushed to non-followers.
Meta’s new teen restrictions will only apply to users in the US for now
Meta is introducing tougher protections for U.S. teens, including daily screen-time limits, overnight blocks, muted school-hour notifications and stronger parental controls.
Meta is putting hard limits on Facebook and Instagram after $17 billion settlement
Meta is promising major changes for teen users, including daily time limits, overnight blocks, hidden likes, algorithm controls and stronger parental supervision.
Meta pays $17 billion to settle social media addiction trial and promises tighter rules
Meta has agreed to pay a fine of $17 billion dollars to settle a lawsuit over harm done to kids due to the addictive nature of its social media platforms.
Instagram’s new editing tool ‘First Draft’ turns your clips into a Reel in seconds
Instagram launched First Draft, a one-tap tool that automatically trims and assembles raw clips into a finished Reel in a few seconds.
WhatsApp is making a big change to how you secure your account
WhatsApp is rolling out a trio of security upgrades designed to make account takeovers and suspicious calls easier to avoid.
Threads wants to make podcasts easier to follow with transcripts
Threads is testing automatic transcripts for podcast clips, letting users follow along without turning on the sound.
U.S. users can now vibe-code and share mini-games with Meta’s Pocket app
Meta’s Pocket is now rolling out in the U.S., letting users vibe-code simple game ideas into playable mini-games they can share and remix.
Meta’s smart glasses are the latest weapon for school bullies
Teens are using Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses to secretly film classmates and teachers at school, with the harassment disproportionately aimed at girls. Much of the footage stayed online until Futurism contacted Meta and TikTok directly.
A face-search tool left more than 9 million photos sitting unprotected
A security researcher found more than 9 million face photos sitting in an unsecured ClarityCheck database that required no password to access.
TikTok might soon let you send money straight through DMs
Hidden code in TikTok's iPhone app hints at a DM payment feature powered by TikTok Pay, the tool already used for TikTok Shop purchases in parts of Asia.
New report says Meta pays influencers to fight social media bans for teens accounts worldwide
As countries move to ban teens from social media, Meta pays actors, psychologists, and parenting influencers across more than a dozen countries to argue against blanket ban for teen accounts.
A random TikTok helped scientists discover a rare underground eel in India
A blurry TikTok clip of a fish coming out of a borewell led scientists straight to a brand new species living underground beneath the India-Nepal border. Meet Gangaichthys indonepalicus.
Forget doomscrolling, Gen Z is now scrolling for birds on TikTok
Birdwatching is finding a younger audience on TikTok, where millions of views are helping Gen Z discover birds, wildlife and an increasingly popular outdoor hobby.
X’s creator payouts are changing, and original content is the new currency
X is replacing its creator Revenue Sharing program with Original Content Rewards, shifting payouts toward original posts, videos, photos, and meaningful commentary.
Snapchat’s Spotlight algorithm now favors human-made videos over AI-generated ones
Snapchat will stop recommending fully AI generated videos on Spotlight, favoring authentic human made content instead, while still allowing AI edited videos to appear.
LinkedIn is crowdsourcing its fight against AI slop
LinkedIn is turning to the community to help combat its AI slop problem with a button that lets users flag AI writing.
WhatsApp finally fixes one of its biggest storage headaches with this new cleanup tool
Following too many WhatsApp channels? This new feature makes reclaiming storage much easier.
Meta used AI to make your Instagram feed harder to quit
Instagram's latest AI recommendation systems have gotten better at predicting what you'll watch next, and Meta says that's translated into more time spent scrolling.
Meta’s latest courtroom losses expose a potential hole in social media’s strongest defense
Two jury losses are testing whether Section 230 protects the design choices behind social media feeds, giving plaintiffs a possible route around the industry’s strongest legal defense without rewriting the law yet.
Meta AI is moving into your Threads DMs, where awkward AI chats belong
Meta is giving Threads users a more private way to use its AI chatbot, letting you ask questions and get context on posts right inside your DMs.
X Money is finally here, and it’s much more than a digital wallet
X Money has officially launched in the US, bringing peer-to-peer payments, a Visa debit card, and high-yield savings accounts to eligible X Premium users.
The EU says TikTok still isn’t doing enough to protect kids
The European Commission says TikTok may be violating the Digital Services Act by failing to adequately protect minors' accounts and privacy on the platform.
Facebook debuts Seller app for Marketplace and tests a TikTok-style video feed
Facebook is rolling out a standalone Seller app for Marketplace power users and testing a video-first home screen that mirrors TikTok's format.
Facebook is getting a free verified badge to help spot real people
Facebook is rolling out a free, selfie-based Verified badge so you know there's a real person behind a profile before you swipe, chat, or buy.
Instagram is finally giving your old posts a soundtrack do-over
Instagram’s new Replace Audio feature allows users to swap music on existing feed posts and carousels while preserving their engagement
X finally rebuilt its neglected Android app, and it only took a year
X has spent nearly a year rebuilding its Android app from scratch, promising smoother scrolling, faster loading, more reliable notifications, and a stronger foundation for upcoming features.
New X phishing scam uses fake login alerts to steal your account
A phishing email mimicking X's real login alerts is making the rounds, and it's designed to steal your password instead of protecting your account. Here's how to spot the fake and what to do if you clicked.
After YouTube, TikTok is testing its own AI likeness detection tool
As deepfakes spread, TikTok joins YouTube in giving creators tools to detect and report unauthorized AI likenesses of themselves.
You can now generate songs in your iMessage chats
Suno’s latest iOS update lets users generate 30-second songs from typed prompts, voice recordings, and messages inside iMessage.
The UK just proposed a midnight social media curfew for teens that they can bypass in seconds
The UK government has proposed a midnight curfew that would lock 16 and 17-year-olds out of apps like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, but the restriction can be switched off with just a few taps.
X is teaching its AI algorithm something social networks once understood
X is boosting posts among mutual followers after finding that relationship data was missing from its algorithm, exposing the gap between predicting engagement and creating conversations people actually want.
Instagram and WhatsApp lead in sextortion reports, iMessage is weaponized against teenagers: Report
Australia's online safety watchdog says Instagram and WhatsApp top the sextortion complaint list, while teens are being targeted through iMessage and Snapchat.