Teen Sexual Harassment on Instagram
Arturo Béjar recently shared his “retirement from Meta” letter on Jon Haidt’s Substack as a post for everyone to read. In it, he laid out the clear evidence he gathered as a consultant for Meta related to teens and unwanted sexual advances.
Béjar found that 13% of teens ages 13-15 had received unwanted sexual advances over Instagram – within one week.
He shared his data with Adam Moseri (Instagram), Sheryl Sandberg (YouTube), Chris Cox (Chief Product Officer, Meta), and Mark Zuckerberg (CEO). Only Mark ignored Arturo’s messages and never responded. The rest acknowledged the data but did little.
Meta could solve this issue with existing technology but has chosen to ignore it. Nothing will change until Tech Executives are held personally liable for not adhering to a set of safety by design design principles. Until then, parents it’s up to us! #delayistheway.
Google Bans Ads for Deepfake Porn Tools
Google has long prohibited sexually explicit ads, but up until now, they haven’t banned advertisers from promoting services that enable the creation of deepfake porn and other forms of generated nudes. However, that’s set to change.
Currently, Google’s policy prohibits “text, image, audio, or video of graphic sexual acts intended to arouse.” Now, they’re extending this policy to ban advertisements for services that facilitate the creation of such content, whether it involves altering existing images or generating new ones.
This update, effective May 30th, explicitly prohibits “promoting synthetic content that has been altered or generated to be sexually explicit or contain nudity,” This includes websites and apps that provide instructions on creating deepfake porn.
Deepfakes and AI present new risks that parents must be aware of. We have 15 tips for keeping your family safe: bit.ly/3TVFoeK
TikTok Fights Back
TikTok filed a lawsuit on Tuesday, contesting the constitutionality of the recent law that mandates a sale of the company or a ban of the app in the US.
Last week, we shared how TikTok CEO, Shou Chew, said he would fight the law and here it is. The lawsuit aims to secure a court order blocking the enforcement of the legislation signed by President Biden.
TikTok also claims the law infringes on their First Amendment Rights and the free speech rights of millions of American users.
The stage is set for a legal battle over national security, free speech, and the rights of social media platforms and their users. We will continue to keep you informed.
Phone Fast Recaptures Attention Span
Wall Street Journal author Katherine Bindley fasted from her phone and experienced clear results. Regained focus and attention.
With smartphones, modern technology, and short-form media, clamoring for our minds, our minutes are in high demand.
So, in the days leading up to Easter (called Lent), Katherine decided to fast from her phone. Here’s what she said about her experience:
“The results were astounding. I got better sleep. I was more productive at work. My brain felt calmer with all the reading and writing I did. The old me was back in full force.”
As parents, we focus so much on our kid’s screen time, but how often do we check our own? Would we want our children to use their devices in the same way we use ours? Maybe a change in OUR screentime will have amazing benefits for everyone around us.
Twitch Becomes the “Go-To” News Source
Twitch is an age 17+ live streaming service that many teens use, yet few parents understand.
Recently, Twitch has become the “go-to” news source as streamers like Bret Hamilton live stream current events as they take place. This past week, he went live as cops showed up at UCLA regarding pro-Palestine protests.
Thousands of people tuned into the chaos. As with any live coverage, no one knows what will happen. But with skepticism about media bias at an all-time high from both sides of the political spectrum, some prefer to see it “live.” Without bias.
Parents, are you familiar with Twitch? Our detailed app review explains everything you need to know: bit.ly
Instagram’s “Photo Dump” Accounts
“Photo Dump” Accounts are trending on Instagram, as people seek to alleviate the stressors of all their followers seeing their posts.
Similar to “Finstas” (fake Instagram accounts) from year ago, Dumps are a second account to post whatever they want, without the anxiety of crafting a picture-perfect page. The goal is to post fun, candid, and authentic memories you want to save. Most of these accounts only follow best friends, family, or no one at all.
Using Instagram this way feels more like a digital scrapbook, rather than addictive social media.
Parents, if your child has Instagram, maybe ask them about photo dump accounts. They aren’t necessarily bad, so ensure your tone is curious and positive.
“Chris, help! We have a tech emergency!”
That’s why we created The Table, our PYE membership where you can get immediate, emergency help, ask basic tech questions in our Tech Support space, become a specialist in YouTube setup, pornography education, or compulsive gaming, and interact with other, like-minded parents. Abby is there to take care of you! Join for 7 days free, try it out, and then stick around for $7/month or $70 for the year. I can’t wait to meet you at The Table!
