President Joe Biden signed a bill Wednesday that could lead to a nationwide TikTok ban, escalating a massive threat to the company’s U.S. operations. Here’s what we know and how it could affect you.
Social Media
People can spend hours scrolling through social media. An organization called Project Unloaded is helping teens educate their peers on the risks of owning a gun by empowering youth to become social media influencers for change.
The board found Conyears-Ervin committed 12 total violations of Chicago’s Governmental Ethics Ordinance for violating her fiduciary duty to the city, for the unauthorized use of city property and prohibited political activity.
The cancelation of the meeting leaves the pending probe against City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin up in the air, four months after the Ethics Board ratified the determination that she fired two city employees after they warned her she was violating the city’s government ethics ordinance by using city resources to host a prayer service.
Some lawmakers and critics of TikTok have argued the Chinese government could force the company to share data on American users. TikTok says it has never done that and wouldn’t do so if asked. The U.S. government also hasn’t provided evidence of that happening.
Nearly half of surveyed Latinos rely on social media sites like TikTok and WhatsApp for their news and information. This has allowed for the spread of misinformation and disinformation, where fact checking in Spanish is less available.
The Chicago Board of Ethics ratified the inspector general’s findings on Nov. 13, and Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin now has an opportunity to contest the results of the probe at a future meeting of the board. Each violation of the law could trigger a fine of $20,000.
A lawsuit filed by 33 states in federal court in California, claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without their parents’ consent, in violation of federal law.
A new study that aims to explore Midwest state boundaries and identity was a result of over 11,000 responses across 22 states.
Facebook’s parent, Meta, in December agreed to pay $725 million to settle a host of privacy-related class action lawsuits alleging, among other things, that Facebook let third parties access its users’ private data and that of their friends without users’ permission.
Illinois Gov. J. B. Pritzker signed a bill amending the state’s Child Labor Law that will allow teenagers over the age of 18 to take legal action against their parents if they were featured in monetized social media videos and not properly compensated.
The relationship between social media and violence might not be as cut-and-dry as some make it to be. There’s sometimes a perception that social media apps fuel violence, but researchers say that correlation can be overblown.
With slim margins and constantly shifting trends, the restaurant industry can be a tough business. Chef Carlos Gaytán uses thoughtful social media content to both attract more business and educate diners about the flavors of his home country.
Educator Ernest Crim III believes learning Black history saved his life — and now, through anti-racism workshops and TikTok videos, he wants to do the same for others.
Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy recently issued a warning that social media presents a “profound risk of harm” to kids’ mental health. He’s calling on families to set limits on social media use and for lawmakers to issue tougher standards on technology platforms to protect kids.
The U.S. surgeon general is calling for tech companies and lawmakers to take “immediate action” to protect kids’ and adolescents’ mental health on social media.