ByTechVista

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  • Darth Vader to become a TikTok star as Disney strikes deal on short video

    Characters and memorable scenes from back catalogue made available to group of creator fans The likes of Darth Vader, Spider-Man and Moana are about to become TikTok stars for the first time – at least now on an official basis – after Walt Disney struck a “first of its kind” deal with the booming short-video…

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  • Florida lawsuit accuses TikTok of violating state’s child social media ban

    State’s attorney general alleges TikTok exposed children to harmful sexual content and addictive features Florida became the latest state to sue TikTok on Monday after the attorney general accused the company of violating a state law that limits social media access for teenagers. In a press conference, Republican James Uthmeier said TikTok exposed children to…

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  • Crackdown on tech platforms will go ahead despite US intervention, says No 10

    US embassy came out against UK’s proposed under-16 social media ban, which would affect American firms White House displeasure over the prospect of an under-16 social media ban will not deter the UK from cracking down on tech platforms, the British government has said. The technology secretary, Liz Kendall, told the Guardian she was not…

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  • Limit social media ban for under-16s to unsafe apps, Starmer urged

    Campaigners warn against blanket restrictions and say focus should be on blocking teenagers from platforms with ‘risky’ features Online safety campaigners have urged Keir Starmer to block under-16s from accessing social media apps that do not meet strict safety standards, instead of implementing a broader Australia-style ban. The NSPCC, Molly Rose Foundation and Smartphone Free…

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  • TikTok’s algorithm favored Republican content in 2024 US elections, study finds

    For You pages prioritized pro-Republican content in three states, researchers say, but TikTok says study does not reflect real user behavior A study published Wednesday in the journal Nature finds that TikTok’s algorithm systematically prioritized pro-Republican content in three states leading up to the 2024 US elections. Researchers created hundreds of dummy accounts and conditioned…

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  • Facing AI and a tough job market, gen Z turns to entrepreneurship: ‘I have to prove myself’

    As AI erases the bottom rungs of the corporate ladder, some gen Z workers skip the entry level to become their own CEOs When Ashley Terrell graduated from the University of Hawaii in 2024, she planned to find a job in marketing, maybe for a tech company. She had a bachelor’s degree in business administration…

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  • TikTok and Visa launch debit card to speed payouts to UK creators

    Creator card is designed for people making money through TikTok Live, some of whom complain of payment delays TikTok and Visa have launched a debit card for content creators in the UK which they say will allow people to quickly access their earnings from the platform. The creator card is designed for the growing numbers…

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  • ‘An element of exploitation’: the world of TikTok child skincare influencers

    Experts say regulation of child influencers sits in a legal grey area as children promote products on social media #ToddlerSkincare: the ‘dark and exploitative’ world of children’s beauty videos on TikTok In a TikTok video a young girl – her age anywhere between 10 and 15 – sits unboxing package after package of products she…

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  • Starmer tells social media firms in No 10 meeting ‘things can’t go on like this’

    PM summons senior figures from Meta, TikTok, Google and X and says social media is ‘putting our children at risk’ Keir Starmer has told social media bosses “things can’t go on like this” in a Downing Street meeting over internet safety. The prime minister summoned senior figures at Meta, TikTok, Google and X to No…

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  • Dr TikTok: patients diagnose chronic illnesses with anonymous commenters’ help

    TikTok users increasingly say the app has steered them toward diagnosing medical problems not yet identified Malina Lee, a 31-year-old wedding baker based in San Antonio, Texas, joined TikTok during the Covid pandemic lockdowns in 2020. Like many people at the time, she was bored and began using the platform to pass the time and…

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