Tag - social-media

 
 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, arrives to testify in a tech addiction trial in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 19, 2026
Zuckerberg says ‘difficult’ to enforce Instagram age limits
The CEO of Meta Platforms was sharply questioned on the witness stand Wednesday about the company’s efforts to attract and engage teenage users.
A 16-year-old uses his phone in Madrid on Feb. 3. An order by Spain for prosecutors to investigate social media platforms X, Meta and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material comes amid a wider crackdown on online platforms, with regulators accusing them of practices ranging from anti-competitive behavior in digital advertising to ‌deliberate design ‌of addictive features.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 18, 2026
Spain to investigate X, Meta and TikTok over AI child sexual abuse material
The move comes amid a wider crackdown, with regulators accusing platforms of practices ranging from anti-competitive behavior in advertising to use ‌of addictive features.
A university survey has found that about 80% of voters who encountered false information spread during the campaign for the Feb. 8 general election perceived it as true.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Survey finds false info perceived as true by many voters in Feb. 8 election
The online survey was conducted by Toyo University professor Morihiro Ogasawara from the night of Feb. 8 to Feb. 10.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump speaks with former President Barack Obama as they attend the State Funeral Service for former U.S. President Jimmy Carter at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington on Jan. 9.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 15, 2026
Obama deplores lack of shame after Trump racist monkey clip
Trump has told reporters he stood by the thrust of the video’s claims about election fraud, but that he had not seen the offensive clip at the end.
Freestyle skier Kokone Kondo skis during a training session in Livigno, Italy, on Feb. 4.
OLYMPICS
Feb 13, 2026
Japanese skier hits back at trolls and brings attention to online abuse at Olympics
For Kokone Kondo, cyber bullying has only deepened the heartbreak of being unable to compete in back-to-back Winter Games due to injury.
Police officers stand by as people wait for a campaign speech by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi ahead of the House of Representatives election, at Rekisen Park in Tokyo on Saturday. Police discovered 336 problematic posts through internet monitoring conducted as part of their efforts to prevent attacks by lone offenders.
JAPAN
Feb 12, 2026
336 online posts hinting attacks found during Lower House race
Police discovered the posts through internet monitoring conducted as part of their efforts to prevent attacks by lone offenders.
Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri (center) leaves the LA County Superior Court after testifying in a social media trial in Los Angeles, California, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 12, 2026
Instagram chief defends youth mental health decisions at trial
Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, testified in Los Angeles as part of a trial on what plaintiffs ‌call “social media addiction” ‌in children and young adults.
Russia's internet watchdog announced on Tuesday that the Telegram messenger platform would face further restrictions for alleged violations of Russian law, as Moscow tries to push Russians to use more tightly controlled domestic online services.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2026
Telegram app faces further curbs and possible fines as Russia clamps down
The Russian communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, began limiting voice and video calls ​via Telegram last August.
Social media networking apps
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 11, 2026
YouTube lawyer sees no addiction from half hour of videos a day in trial
A 20-year-old Californian was presented by her lawyers as the face of a scourge that has allegedly poisoned millions of American youths — overconsumption of social media.
In a review of the operation of a Penal Code article related to insults, the Justice Ministry said the 2022 increase in statutory penalties for the crime has been "effective to a certain extent as a measure against libel on the internet."
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 10, 2026
Stricter punishment for insults not needed, Justice Ministry says
A report from the ministry said the current legal framework regarding the crime of insults is sufficient to handle malicious cases and said there was no need for tougher penalties.
Posts referring to constitutional revision rose more than tenfold, from about 16,000 on Jan. 27 — the day the campaign officially began — to roughly 182,000 on the final day on Saturday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 10, 2026
Social media posts on Constitution and national security surged ahead of election
Debate on those policies intensified following media polls’ prediction of a strong win for the LDP-JIP coalition.
Parents from the United Kingdom — Mariano Janin and George Nicolaou — hold photos of their children, who were victims of bullying on social media, outside the Los Angeles County Superior Court in California, on Monday as landmark trial on the effects of social media on minors began.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 10, 2026
U.S. trial lawyer says Meta and YouTube ‘engineered addiction’ in children
A California court is hearing a landmark trial on the effects of social media on minors.
Election officials work at a ballot counting center on Sunday in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
Exit poll shows over 40% of voters want LDP-JIP bloc to continue ruling
The backing far outpaced support for any other alternative arrangement.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Chairman Tarique Rahman addresses an election rally ahead of the country's general election in Dhaka on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 9, 2026
‘Flood’ of disinformation ahead of Bangladesh election
Analysts warn voters’ choices are threatened by a coordinated surge of online manipulation, much of which originates from neighboring India.
Parents who lost children to social media–related harms hold a vigil on Feb. 5 ahead of a social media addiction trial set to begin this week in Los Angeles.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 9, 2026
Arguments to begin in key U.S. social media addiction trial
The outcome in the case in the Los Angeles Superior Court could set the tone for a tidal wave of similar litigation across the United States.
U.S. figure skater Amber Glenn celebrates with her gold medal after the figure skating team competition at the Milano Cortina Olympics in Milan on Sunday.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 9, 2026
Amber Glenn insists social media abuse did not impact performance
The three-time U.S. champion was third in the free program in her Olympic debut.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi enters the Prime Minister's Office between election campaign activities in Tokyo on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 7, 2026
Takaichi overwhelming rivals in social media battle to go viral
An analysis showed that Takaichi had made 65 posts during the reporting period, garnering an average of about 5,200 reposts each.
A video message from Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi posted on YouTube by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party has surpassed 100 million views, prompting questions over advertising spending amid reports that the surge was driven in part by promotion on social media platforms.
JAPAN / Politics
Feb 5, 2026
Takaichi video message tops 100 million views
The video achieved the milestone number of views in about 10 days.
A growing number of European countries are weighing a social media ban for minors.
WORLD / Society
Feb 5, 2026
Move to ban social media for kids gains traction in Europe
The European moves could trigger an aggressive response from U.S. President Donald Trump and his orbit.
A supporter holds a flyer for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who is also president of the Liberal Democratic Party, alongside an English vocabulary book at an LDP election rally in the city of Saitama on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 4, 2026
How Sanae Takaichi won over disillusioned young voters
So far, the prime minister’s strategy of presenting herself as different from previous leaders seems to have struck a chord with Japan’s youth.

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