teens
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Facebook publishes slides on how Instagram affects teen mental health
Facebook has published two slide decks detailing its research into how Instagram affects teens’ mental health.
Facebook and Instagram will limit advertisers’ ability to target teens
Facebook is taking new steps to limit advertisers’ ability to reach teens with targeted ads.
Instagram stops adults from DMing teens who don't follow them
Instagram is making it harder for creeps by preventing adults from sending DMs to teens that don't follow them, and making it harder to find those teens.
YouTube will expand parental controls for tweens and teens
Supervised accounts will enable content settings and limit some features.
TikTok changes privacy settings for its youngest users
TikTok is introducing new “enhanced” privacy settings that restricts certain features for younger teens and changes default settings for older teens.
A third of TikTok’s US users may be 14 years old or younger
As much as a third of TikTok’s 49 million users in the US may be 14 years old or younger.
Disney+ announces two adventure competition shows for teens
While Quibi is remaking the once-popular Nickelodeon show Legends of the Hidden Temple, Disney+ is planning two of its own mazes-based, puzzle-solving shows that could be Legends of the Hidden Temple-esque with a reality TV spin. Today, the streaming service announced plans for the new content: The Quest and The Maze.
Massachusetts temporarily bans vaping products amid health crisis
Following a spate of vaping illnesses and deaths, Massachusetts has become the first state to do a full ban on vaping products. Governor Charlie Baker declared a public health emergency and said that both flavored and non-flavored vaping products -- made with nicotine and marijuana -- would be temporarily prohibited from sale for a period of four months. "[We] need to pause sales in order for our medical experts to collect more information about what is driving these life threatening vaping-related illnesses," he said at a press conference.
North Carolina sues eight e-cigarette makers over teen use
Officials aren't just focused on Juul in their crackdown on teen vape use. North Carolina has sued eight e-cigarette makers (Beard Vape, Direct eLiquid, Electric Lotus, Electric Tobacconist, Eonsmoke, Juice Man, Tinted Brew and VapeCo) over allegations they're "aggressively targeting" kids and don't require "appropriate" age checks when selling their products. The companies frequently use child-oriented flavors like gummy bear or "unicorn frappé," not to mention the colorful packages to match.
WW, formerly Weight Watchers, launches a weight loss app for kids
Last February, Weight Watchers drew criticism when it announced a free weight-loss program for teens ages 13 to 17. Skeptics feared the program would encourage obsessive eating habits in adolescents, but Weight Watchers -- since rebranded WW -- isn't backing down. Instead, it launched a free weight loss app for adolescents, Kurbo by WW.
FDA targets teens with e-cigarette prevention ads
Today, the FDA launched its first e-cigarette prevention TV ads. Part of "The Real Cost" campaign, they're meant to educate teens on the dangers of e-cigarette use. The ads will target nearly 10.7 million teens, aged 12 to 17, who have used e-cigarettes or are open to trying them. The short clips feature street magician Julius Dein, who turns a vape pen into a cigarette before onlookers. The trick is supposed to highlight the fact that teens who vape are more likely to start smoking cigarettes.
Chevy's safety feature won't let teens drive without seat belts
Because a chiming dashboard alert isn't enough to get teens to buckle up, Chevrolet introduced a new feature that prohibits drivers from shifting out of park until their seat belt is fastened. The "Buckle to Drive" system includes visible and audible alerts, and the company says it's an industry first. It only runs when Teen Driver mode is active -- so adults can risk driving seat belt-free if they choose -- and it will be standard in the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse, Malibu and Colorado.
UK wants Facebook to remove its Like button for younger users
The UK wants social media to turn off so-called "nudge" techniques, including Facebook's "Like" button and Snapchat streaks, for under-18s. The recommendations form part of a new 16-rule code of of practice for age-appropriate design drafted by the UK's data watchdog, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). Other suggestions include turning location-tracking off by default for younger users, "robust" age-verification systems, limiting how children's data is collected, used, and shared, and informing children if parents are monitoring their online activity.
The FDA thinks an Xbox game can stop kids smoking
The FDA is behind a horror video game designed to teach teens about the dangers of smoking. Inspired by the statistic that three out of every four high school students who start smoking continue on to adulthood, One Leaves sets players in a cell with three other teens. The free PC and Xbox One game's objective is to escape the cell, but only one of the players will succeed. The game is being released as part of the FDA's "The Real Cost" youth tobacco prevention campaign, which is aimed at youth who are 12 to 17 years of age.
FDA accuses Juul of undermining efforts to prevent teen vaping
Many people raised eyebrows when Marlboro owner Altria bought a $12.8 billion stake in the vaping giant Juul, and that now includes the US Food and Drug Administration. Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has requested a joint meeting with the CEOs of Juul and Altria over concerns their statements "contradict" commitments they made in October to reduce teen vaping. The official wanted both executives to explain how their deal affects their plans to curb youth vape use, and noted that data suggested trends were headed in the wrong direction.
To Facebook, your privacy is worth a $20 gift card
Another day, another Facebook controversy. The latest backlash follows a TechCrunch report that the company was secretly paying teenagers to access their data and basically monitor their every move on the web. Facebook was asking people to install a VPN app called Facebook Research that gave it full access to a user's phone and internet activity. That, according to security expert Will Strafach (who helped TechCrunch with the investigation), gave the company the ability to continuously collect "private messages in social media apps, chats from in instant messaging apps (including photos/videos sent to others), emails, web searches, web browsing activity and even ongoing location information."
Survey says teens find some benefit from social media
The Pew Research Center has already given us a look into teens' social media and smartphone use, and in a new survey it's sharing some of the more positive effects of social media, as experienced by teens. While these younger social media users noted some negative aspects -- like feeling overwhelmed by drama and the pressure to post content that will generate likes and comments or make them look good -- more teens reported a number of benefits of participating in social networks.
Facebook offers educators lessons to teach kids online responsibility
It's important for all of us to stay safe and act responsibly when we're online, and that holds doubly true for young people. To help educators teach kids how to be more mindful when they use the internet, Facebook has released a batch of resources in its Digital Literacy Library. The materials guide educators in helping young people aged 11 to 18 understand issues such as privacy, reputation, security, safety and identity exploration.
Study links ADHD symptoms in teens to frequent gadget use
Many people will tell you that teens' constant device use leaves them unable to focus, but is that actually the case? The answer is a giant "maybe." A newly published study in the Journal of the American Medical Association has linked Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder symptoms in teens to frequent device use. Out of 2,587 high school students studied over a two-year period, those who used multiple digital media types several times a day were about twice as likely to report strong ADHD-like symptoms (such as a lack of impulse control and patience) as their peers. The more digital media they used, the more likely it was that symptoms would surface.
Teens are using Facebook less and less
Pew Research Center released a new study today on teen social media use and among findings on internet usage, the impact of social media and smartphone access, the report notes a shift in which sites are preferred by teens. In a similar study released in 2015, Pew Research Center found that 71 percent of 13- to 17-year-olds said they used Facebook, while around half used Instagram and 41 percent used Snapchat. Now, just 51 percent of teens say they use Facebook, while YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat lead amongst the age group. Around 85 percent of US teens surveyed said they use YouTube (which wasn't included in the 2015 study), while 72 percent and 69 percent say they use Instagram and Snapchat, respectively.
