“Nudify” Apps Spark Outrage and More This Week
Plus: Schools cracking down on student phones, new laws to hold platforms accountable, and fresh studies on teen relationships with technology.
December 12, 2024
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As the Olympic Games light up Paris with incredible feats of athleticism and global unity, the digital world is facing some intense challenges.
From Elon Musk sharing a misleading deepfake video to major tech companies pushing the limits of AI, the stakes are high. Meanwhile, the Senate has just passed a new bill aimed at keeping kids safer online.
Stay up to date with this week’s top headlines.
Senate Passes Landmark Kids’ Online Safety Bills, House Decision Pending
On Tuesday, July 30th, the Senate passed two bipartisan online safety bills aimed at protecting children and teens from harmful social media content.
The House’s six-week recess delays further action for now but it’s a big step toward impactful legislation aimed specifically at protecting kids online.
The Kids Online Safe Act (KOSA) and Children’s and Teens Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) impose stricter regulations on tech companies, including better protections for users under age 17, additional parental controls, and a ban on targeted ads to kids and teens.
Senate passes the most significant child online safety bills in decades | NBC News
Meta Targets Sextortion: Removes 70,000 Accounts
Meta removed 63,000 Instagram accounts and 7,000 Facebook accounts in Nigeria linked to sextortion scams.
These scams, which involve blackmailing victims with compromising photos, have increased pressure on social media companies to act.
The FBI noted a rise in child targets, highlighting the tragic case of 17-year-old Jordan DeMay, who died by suicide after being a victim of a sextortion scam.
Meta takes down thousands of Instagram and Facebook accounts linked to sextortion | NPR
Young Adults Face New Happiness Crisis: Social Media and Stress to Blame
The U-shaped happiness curve — where happiness peaks at 30, dips in midlife, and rises post-70 — is shifting.
Recent research shows young adults (18-25) are now the unhappiest, particularly young women.
Factors include social media’s rise and broader crises with experts advising aligning behaviors with values, reducing stress, and seeking professional support.
Tech Giants Battle for Control and Content
Tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI are vying to transform search engines with generative AI, offering more direct answers instead of links.
This shift, driven by AI’s need for quality content, has led companies like Perplexity to strike revenue-sharing deals with publishers.
As AI models scrape vast amounts of content, debates over copyright and compensation intensify, reshaping how information is accessed and valued online.
The AI Search War Has Begun | The Atlantic
AI Deepfake Sparks Outrage as it Blurs Satire and Reality
A video using AI to clone Vice President Kamala Harris’ voice and make false claims has sparked controversy, especially with Election Day approaching.
Elon Musk’s initial unmarked share of the video led to confusion, despite later clarifications that it was satire.
The incident highlights the risks and regulatory gaps in AI-generated media.
A parody ad shared by Elon Musk clones Kamala Harris’ voice, raising concerns about AI in politics | AP News
How AI Executives are Reshaping Reality
Two years after OpenAI’s release of DALL-E 2, generative AI has transformed technology with its impressive outputs, but also sparked controversy.
The rapid rise of AI tools has led to societal upheavals, including job displacement and ethical concerns about data use.
Critics warn that unchecked ambition among tech leaders could impose their values and reshape society without adequate oversight or public input.
AI’s Real Hallucination Problem | The Atlantic
Other Headlines
- How YouTube Took Over Our Television Screens | The New York Times
- Meta Reaches $1.4 Billion Settlement With Texas Over Privacy Violations | The New York Times
- What Adults Lost When Kids Stopped Playing in the Street | The Atlantic
- OpenAI rolls out voice mode after delaying it for safety reasons | The Washington Post
- Fake images are getting harder to spot. Here’s a field guide. | The Washington Post
Did we miss anything?
Let us know in the comments below.
Author Jackie Baucom
Jackie is a Gabb staff writer. She is the mother of four children and is passionate about keeping kids safe, happy, loved, and thriving. She has a degree in Mass Communication from the University of Utah.
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