social media News

First Amendment Does Not Protect Social Media Retaliation Against Employees

A federal court in Vermont recently ruled that the First Amendment does not protect a construction firm and its officials using social media to retaliate against employees who exercise their rights under federal labor law. The decision by the U.S. …

Mother of Child Who Died in TikTok ‘Blackout Challenge’ Asks Court to Revive Lawsuit

A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday wrestled with whether the video-based social media platform TikTok could be sued for causing a 10-year-old girl’s death by promoting a deadly “blackout challenge” that encouraged people to choke themselves. Members of a three-judge …

Meta’s Instagram Linked to Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia in Kids: States’ Lawsuit

Dozens of U.S. states are suing Meta Platforms and its Instagram unit, accusing them of fueling a youth mental health crisis by making their social media platforms addictive. In a complaint filed on Tuesday, the attorneys general of 33 states …

Child Social Media Influencers in Illinois to Receive Compensation Under New Law

CHICAGO (AP) – Illinois is the first state in the U.S. to ensure child social media influencers are compensated for their work, according to Sen. David Koehler, of Peoria, who sponsored a bill that was signed into law and will …

Tech Group Sues Arkansas Over Law Requiring Parental Permission for Minors Creating Social Media Accounts

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) – A tech industry trade group sued Arkansas on challenging a new state law that requires parental permission for minors to create social media accounts. NetChoice, a group whose members include Facebook parent Meta, TikTok and …

Washington Schools Suing over Social Media Harm

The public school district in Seattle has filed a novel lawsuit against the tech giants behind TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat, seeking to hold them accountable for the mental health crisis among youth. Seattle Public Schools filed the lawsuit …

Settlement Requires Arkansas Senator to Unblock Critics on Social Media

An Arkansas state senator will be required to unblock critics from his social media accounts under a settlement a national atheists’ group said it reached with the state on Wednesday. American Atheists announced the settlement in its federal lawsuit against …

California Social Media Addiction Bill Drops Parent Lawsuits

A first-of-its-kind proposal in the California Legislature aimed at holding social media companies responsible for harming children who have become addicted to their products would no longer let parents sue popular platforms like Instagram and TikTok. The revised proposal would …

Bill Would Enable California Parents to Sue for Social Media Addiction

California could soon hold social media companies responsible for harming children who have become addicted to their products, permitting parents to sue platforms like Instagram and TikTok for up to $25,000 per violation under a bill that passed the state …

Social Media Valuable Tool for Forecasters, Residents in Path of Tornadoes

In the 11 years since a devastating tornado outbreak struck Tuscaloosa, Alabama, social media has evolved into a lifesaving tool during periods of severe weather, said Richard Scott, the chief meteorologist for Tuscaloosa-based WVUA 23 News. Scott said he believed …