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France's National Assembly approves banning under-15s from social media President Emmanuel Macron is urging France to follow Australia, whose ban for under-16s on social media platforms including Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok, and YouTube came into force in December. French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the media ahead of a summit of EU leaders to discuss transatlantic relations following US President Donald Trump's threats to impose new tariffs on a list of EU countries over his demand to acquire Greenland, in Brussels, Belgium January 22, 2026. (photo credit: REUTERS/YVES HERMAN) By REUTERS JANUARY 27, 2026 05:35 France's National Assembly on Monday backed legislation to ban children under 15 years old from social media on Monday, amid growing concerns about online bullying and mental health risks. The bill proposes banning under-15s from social networks and "social networking functionalities" embedded within broader platforms, and reflects rising public angst over the impact of social media on minors. Lawmakers voted 116 to 23 in favor of the bill. It now passes to the Senate before a final vote in the lower house. President Emmanuel Macron has pointed to social media as one factor to blame for violence among young people. He is urging France to follow Australia, whose

“Closer” by The Chainsmokers, rose-tinted filters, mustaches, iconic poses, the mannequin challenge, colorful hair, the Snapchat dog filter, creepy clowns and swag; all things from an iconic year. Now it’s 10 years later, and the nostalgia of 2016 is coming back.  The new year is here. It’s officially 2026. As soon as the clock struck midnight on New Year's, everyone started sharing their 2016 throwbacks. From celebrities to classmates, everyone had fierce selfies and acai bowls to show off.  The real question is, why is 2016 back? Why wasn’t 2015 or 2014 trending? There are many reasons Generation Z is pushing to bring back 2016. Some of these reasons include missing how social media used to be, wanting to go back to a simpler time and even going back to a time before the widespread use of AI. Really, 2016 is back in trend based on everyone’s own opinions. Looking back on these trends can be an escape from the current times, where we’re all growing up or trying to escape the current events happening around us. Reliving 2016 can take us back to a time when there weren’t so many horrible things happening in society, like the deployment of

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For years, social media giants have argued against claims that their platforms harm young people’s mental health. Starting Tuesday, they will for the first time have to defend against those claims before a jury in a court of law.A 19-year-old identified as KGM and her mother, Karen Glenn, are suing TikTok, Meta and Google’s YouTube, alleging that the companies knowingly created addictive features that harmed her mental health and led to self-harm and suicidal thoughts. (Snap, also a defendant, settled last week under undisclosed terms.)Parents, advocates, health experts, tech whistleblowers and teens themselves have for years worried that social media platforms can get young people hooked on scrolling, enable bullying, disrupt their sleep and send them down harmful content rabbit holes. Tech executives have repeatedly been hauled before Congress, at one point even apologizing to parents who say their children died or were harmed because of social media. But the companies have nonetheless faced few consequences or regulations in the United States.KGM’s case seeks unspecified monetary damages. The outcome could influence how more than 1,000 similar personal injury cases against Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube are resolved.Top executives from Meta, TikTok and YouTube are expected to take the witness stand

Social media companies are facing one of their most serious turning points yet, after Snapchat’s parent company, Snap, settled a social media addiction lawsuit in the United States just days before it was due to go to court. The case was brought by a 19-year-old woman who alleges that social media algorithms left her addicted from a young age and caused anxiety, depression and body dysmorphia. While Snap has now settled, other defendants  including Instagram owner Meta and TikTok parent ByteDance, will face the courts. Technology Editor at The Irish Independent, Adrian Weckler, told The Anton Savage Show that the lawsuit is being watched closely across the tech industry.  “There’s a case going on in the States at the moment that everybody’s watching, especially in the social media industry,” he said, describing it as similar to the early legal actions taken against Big Tobacco. He noted that in Europe, the instinct has been to regulate the area. “We try to regulate it over here. We know that the Americans don’t like that. So it’s a very confused situation." That tension is evident in Australia, which has introduced a world-first ban on social media use for under-16s. A user open social

Just days before jurors were set to be summoned in a closely watched courtroom showdown, Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, has agreed to resolve a lawsuit accusing social media giants of engineering addiction into their platforms. The settlement was disclosed during a California Superior Court hearing, halting what had been shaping up as a landmark trial in Los Angeles. Financial terms were not made public. After the hearing, Snap said the parties were “pleased to have been able to resolve this matter in an amicable manner.” Other Tech Giants Still Headed for Trial Snap’s exit leaves three major defendants still facing the jury box: Meta, owner of Instagram; ByteDance’s TikTok; and Alphabet’s YouTube. None have reached settlements. With no deal in place for those companies, the case is scheduled to move forward, and jury selection is set to begin Jan. 27. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify. Until the settlement was announced Tuesday, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel had also been slated to take the stand. Meta, TikTok and Alphabet did not respond to requests for comment.

Updated on: January 23, 2026 / 5:45 PM PST / CBS Sacramento Add CBS News on Google A Florida man faces dozens of child pornography charges following an investigation that began with a referral from law enforcement officials in California, authorities said on Friday. Florida authorities said they were contacted on January 13 by investigators in Yuba City in Northern California regarding a child pornography case after a suspect was identified as living within Winter Haven city limits. Yuba City police said the investigation originated when the mother of a 7-year-old girl brought her child's cellphone to the Yuba City Police Department after discovering a man on it along with another minor. Detectives identified a suspect who was later determined to be Alex Joel Melendez, 24, of Winter Haven. Mugshot of 24-year-old Alex Joel Melendez of Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven Police Department Winter Haven detectives obtained a search warrant for Melendez's home, which was executed on the evening of January 15 with assistance from the Polk County Sheriff's Office. During the search, investigators said they found extensive evidence, including photos, videos and explicit messages exchanged between Melendez and multiple minor victims through a Snapchat account. Police said Melendez was

Snapchat is giving parents more tools to keep tabs on their teens’ activity on the platform with an expanded set of parental controls in its Family Center. The new features let parents track how much time their teen spends on Snapchat each day and provide insights into the friends their teen is adding, likely aiming to address growing concerns over social media addiction and online safety. Parents can now see the average time their teen spends on Snapchat over the past week, broken down by activity type. This includes chatting with friends, sending snaps, using the camera to create content, exploring Snap Map, and watching videos on Spotlight and Stories. These insights give parents a clearer picture of where their teen is spending their time and can help guide conversations about healthy social media habits. Image credit: Snapchat In addition to monitoring time, parents can now understand the context of new friend connections. The Family Center updates show how a teen may know someone they’ve added, whether through mutual friends, saved contacts, or shared communities. According to Snap, these “trust signals” give parents more confidence that their teen is interacting with people they know in real life and make it

The update adds tools showing how teens spend time on the app, offers more context on new friend connections, and introduces safety and educational resources for parents. Snapchat has introduced new features in its Family Center aimed at giving parents greater visibility into how teenagers use the platform, as conversations around screen time and digital well-being continue to grow. The update adds three key elements: insights into how much time teens spend on different parts of the app, additional context around new friend connections, and new safety and educational resources for parents. Speaking on Snapchat’s approach to teen safety and parental involvement, Uthara Ganesh, head of Public Policy, APAC Snap Inc. said: “At Snapchat, supporting young people’s digital well-being is a core part of how we build our platform. With the latest updates to Family Center, parents can see clear, practical information about how their teens spend time on Snapchat. The feature is designed to help families have more informed conversations, while continuing to respect teen privacy. As digital habits evolve in India, we remain focused on building safety tools that are transparent by design, easy to use, and rooted in trust between parents and teens.” Under the new update

Kyum Raham exploited the teenagers, who were all under the age of 16, by recruiting them through Snapchat. He then grooming them by offering them ...