Tag Archives: SNAPCHAT

27Jul/26

The Global Crackdown on Artificial Intimacy

July 27, 2026MobileAdam Raine, Alibaba, Artificial human companion, Artificial intelligence, Artificial intimacy, Bytedance, CHARACTER.AI, Chatbots, Chen Xiulan, China, Cybernetics, Doubao, Gavin Newsom, Generative AI, Interim Measures for the Management of Anthropomorphic AI Interactive Services, Multimodal interaction, New York, Replika, Sewell Setzer, SNAPCHAT, Steve Padilla, United Statesadmin

The Loneliness Loophole: Why Therapists Think the AI Companion Craze Is a Failure of Real-World Services

Mon, July 27 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — The provided sources detail the evolving regulatory landscape for artificial intelligence, specifically focusing on the EU Artificial Intelligence Act and China’s Interim Measures for AI Human-Like Interaction Services. The EU legislation establishes a comprehensive framework that prohibits specific high-risk practices, such as manipulative cognitive behavioral techniques and untargeted facial recognition scraping. In contrast, China’s new rules specifically target AI companions and emotional interaction services, imposing strict requirements for age verification and anti-addiction measures. These regulations aim to protect vulnerable populations like minors and the elderly from psychological harm and emotional dependency. Consequently, major Chinese tech firms have reportedly shut down specific agent features to avoid the architectural challenges of complying with these new mandates. Together, these documents reflect a global trend toward categorizing and restricting AI based on its potential impact on human rights and social well-being. Continue reading →

15Jun/26

Mandatory ID checks for social media

June 15, 2026MediaAnthony Albanese, Australia, Barnardo, Big Tech, Facebook, Instagram, Keir Starmer, Malaysia, Mobile applications, New Zealand, Noah Jones, Robert French, SNAPCHAT, Social media, Social Media (Age-Restricted Users) Bill, TikTok, United Kingdom, United States, Vertical video, Video hosting, Video software, YouTubeadmin

End of the Scroll: UK to Ban Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube for Under-16s

Mon, Jun 15 2026 /Mpelembe Media/ — In June 2026, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced sweeping legislation to ban children under the age of 16 from accessing social media platforms, with the restrictions set to take effect in Spring 2027. Grounded in Part 3 of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Act 2026, the policy aims to combat a youth mental health crisis and protect children from addictive algorithms and harmful online content. Continue reading →

10Dec/25

Social media, not gaming, tied to rising attention problems in teens, new study finds

December 10, 2025MediaAmphetamine, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Attention disorders, Attention span, Australia, Creative Commons, dopamine, Karolinska Institutet, Kleber, Methylphenidate, Samson Nivins, SNAPCHAT, Torkel Klingberg, United States, Womenadmin

Torkel Klingberg, Karolinska Institutet and Samson Nivins, Karolinska Institutet

The digital revolution has become a vast, unplanned experiment – and children are its most exposed participants. As ADHD diagnoses rise around the world, a key question has emerged: could the growing use of digital devices be playing a role?

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17Feb/23

Kids’ online safety: A fragile balance

February 17, 2023SecurityBill, Child protection, Digital media, Elizabeth, Frankfurt, Frankfurt Airport, Human behavior, Humans, Iceland, Identity management, India, Internet privacy, Joe Biden, London, New Delhi, Parental controls, Privacy, Privacy law, Samuel Woodhams Digital, SNAPCHAT, Social media, Thomson Reuters Foundation, United Kingdom, United Statesadmin

By Samuel Woodhams | Digital rights researcher and journalist

Last week, Joe Biden sounded the alarm over the lack of child protections online during his State of the Union address. He called for a ban on the collection of kids’ personal data and the prohibition of targeted advertising to children, saying: “We must finally hold social media companies accountable for the experiment they are running on our children for profit.”
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08Sep/22

Digital nomads have rejected the office and now want to replace the nation state. But there is a darker side to this quest for global freedom

September 8, 2022Human InterestAgnes Nyamwange, Alex Garland, Andrew Keen, Anthropology, Augusta, Australia, Balaji Srinivasan, Bangkok, Barbados, Barbara Jovanovic, Ben, Blue, Brazil, Chiang Mai, China, Coinbase, Creative Commons, Cultural anthropology, Culture, Dave Cook, Digital nomad, dropshipping, eBay, El Salvador, Estonia, Eventbrite, Fabian Dittrich, Feli Hargarten, Geoarbitrage, Hamburg, Humans, Internet culture, John Perry Barlow, Karoli Hindricks, Ko Pha Ngan, Larry, Lauren Razavi, Lena Leonhardt, Levels, London, Lyft, Manila, Marcus Meurer, Montenegro, Natalie Sissons, New York, Nomad, PAYPAL, Pete, Philippines, Pieter Levels, Portugal, Russia, Shopify, SHUTTERSTOCK, SNAPCHAT, Stasi, Sydney, Ted, Thailand, Theresa May, Thom, Tim Ferriss, Tony Simonovsky, Tsugio Makimoto, Uber, United Kingdom, United States, Yassin, Zenaadmin

Dave Cook, UCL

A ‘network state’ is ideologically aligned but geographically decentralised. The people are spread around the world in clusters of varying size, but their hearts are in one place.

In June 2022 Balaji Srinivasan, former chief technology officer of the Coinbase cryptocurrency exchange, published an ebook entitled The Network State: How To Start a New Country. It is the latest in a flurry of utopian visions by self-styled digital visionaries, crypto believers and web 3.0 evangelists who are lining up to declare the death of the traditional concept of countries and nationhood.

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