Social media platforms are prioritising profits over keeping our children safe from predators, according to a former police officer turned child safety advocate. “It’s not if, it’s just when” predators will contact children on these platforms, Raven CEO and co-founder John Pizzuro told Scrolling 2 Death podcast host Nikki Reisberg. Raven is a non-profit lobbying … Read more
(The Hill) — Teenage boys are the most frequent targets of financial “sextortion” schemes that are often conducted through Instagram and other social media platforms, according to a new report. The report was released jointly by technology company Thorn and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) on Monday and examined more than … Read more
Sens. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) are leading a group of bipartisan senators reintroducing a bill that would limit kids’ social media use by setting a minimum age for users and restricting access to the sites in schools. Schatz originally introduced a version of the legislation, called the Kids Off Social Media Act, … Read more
Florida lawmakers have fast-tracked legislation that forces social media companies to keep most minors off their platforms. The legislation, which passed the state House Thursday after earlier being approved by the Senate, now heads to Gov. Ron DeSantis’s (R) desk, though he says he’s not quite ready to sign on. DeSantis told reporters Friday that … Read more
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, plans to lay off more than 500 employees, it revealed in a regulatory filing Monday. The social media company will cut its global workforce by about 10 percent, it said in the filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This translates to about 540 employees, based on Snap’s … Read more
Several of the major technology companies with CEOs slated to appear before Congress on Wednesday have announced new initiatives or positions on efforts to protect children’s safety online ahead of this week’s hearing. The heads of Discord, Meta, Snap, TikTok, and X, formerly known as Twitter, are set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee … Read more
