US Surgeon General says social media can pose 'a profound risk' to teens' mental healthOn the other hand, research has shown that teens find community and support on social media.By K. Holt, 05.23.2023
Arkansas passes social media law requiring age verificationIt's the second state to pass a law restricting how companies handle teens' accounts. By K. Bell, 04.12.2023
Why lawmakers are pushing age verification requirements for social media platformsPrivacy experts say the rules would violate everyone's privacy, not just teens'.By K. Bell, 04.05.2023
Utah passes laws requiring parental permission for teens to use social mediaTwo new laws will impose strict rules on how teens can use social media apps. By K. Bell, 03.23.2023
Senators urge Meta not to open Horizon Worlds up to younger teensThey cited the 'company’s record of failure to protect children and teens.'By K. Holt, 03.02.2023
TikTok will automatically limit screen time for teensThe app is also beefing up parental control features.By K. Bell, 03.01.2023
Facebook and Instagram will limit ads targeting teens based on gender (updated)Gender is also off-limits.By J. Fingas, 01.10.2023
TikTok says it’s getting better at detecting ‘borderline’ contentThe app previously added age restrictions to some types of "mature" content.By K. Bell, 12.30.2022
Meta is trying to prevent 'suspicious' adults from messaging teens on Facebook and InstagramFacebook is also changing the default privacy settings for younger teens. By K. Bell, 11.21.2022
TikTok's livestreaming updates include adult-only broadcastsYou also have to be at least 18 to host any stream.By J. Fingas, 10.17.2022
Instagram will limit sensitive content for new teen users by defaultExisting users under the age of 16 years old will be asked to switch to the most restrictive content setting. By A. Khalid, 08.25.2022
A fifth of US teens use YouTube 'almost constantly,' with TikTok not far behindA Pew survey suggested Instagram and Snapchat adoption rose, but Facebook and Twitter are less popular among teens than in 2015.By K. Holt, 08.10.2022
TikTok is testing age restrictions for younger users' recommendationsThe company wants to classify content based on "content maturity and thematic comfort zones."By K. Bell, 02.08.2022
Headspace gives US teens free access to its mental health appIt's open to anyone between 13 and 18 who are members of select non-profits.By D. Hardawar, 11.17.2021
YouTube will begin demonetizing 'low-quality' kids videos next monthChannels could lose access to the YouTube Partner Program.By I. Bonifacic, 10.25.2021
Instagram will encourage teens to 'take a break'Facebook also hopes to 'nudge' teens away from harmful material.By J. Fingas, 10.10.2021
Facebook publishes slides on how Instagram affects teen mental healthThe slides include lengthy annotations.By K. Bell, 09.29.2021
Facebook and Instagram will limit advertisers’ ability to target teensInstagram will also start setting younger teens’ accounts to private by default. By K. Bell, 07.27.2021
Instagram stops adults from DMing teens who don't follow themIt's also making it harder for creeps to find teens in the first place.By J. Fingas, 03.16.2021
YouTube will expand parental controls for tweens and teensSupervised accounts will enable content settings and limit some features.By K. Holt, 02.24.2021