TikTok Isolationism
Plus: New Yorkers favor decriminalizing prostitution. An academic inquiry into "body counts." AI chatbots everywhere. And more...
Social Media
Brendan Carr and Ted Cruz Don't Think Charlie Kirk's Murder Justifies Speech Restrictions
Rand Paul, who called for "a crackdown on people" who celebrated the assassination, was less careful in distinguishing between private and government action.
To Honor Charlie Kirk, Reject Cancel Culture
Plus: Trump and governors threaten social media regulations, activists push blacklists and firings, and how to resist apocalyptic politics.
Charlie Kirk Would Not Have Wanted This
A vast cancel culture campaign is a poor way to honor his legacy.
Social Media Didn't Kill Charlie Kirk
Plus: Trump says he "may let [TikTok] die," the SoHo Forum debates paying for sex, the administration calls birth control "abortifacients," and more...
What the Messages on the Bullets of Charlie Kirk's Assassin Mean
The phrases are a mix of anti-fascist sentiments and irony-poisoned internet memes.
TikTok's Revolutionaries
Plus: Poland invokes Article 4, zoning code has a problem with orgies, and more...
GOP Rep Proposes Canceling People Over Mean Posts About Charlie Kirk
Louisiana Rep. Clay Higgins, who once opposed government jawboning, now says people should be banned from both social media and public life over their posts.
FDA Official Pressures YouTube Into Removing a Channel For Posting His Own Vaccine Comments
Not long ago, conservatives were rightly concerned about jawboning. Now they're apparently happy to take part in it themselves.
More Age Verification Fallout: Artist Blogs Blocked, Porn Data Leaked, Traffic Boosts for Noncompliant Sites
Unintended—but entirely predictable—consequences abound!
Bluesky Blocks Mississippi Users
Age verification laws are already coming for Americans’ access to free speech.
What If TikTok Therapists Are Making People Less Happy?
Lena Dunham's new show is a send-up of internet therapy culture.
Do Phones Really Wreck Kids' Lives?
"If your kids went through puberty on a smartphone with social media, they came out different than human beings before that," argues psychologist Jonathan Haidt.
The Self-Sustaining Outrage Cycle of Sydney Sweeney's Jeans Ad
Nearly three weeks in, it's getting difficult to remember what everybody was so mad about—or if more than a handful were ever mad at all.
Why Trump Can't Make the Epstein Story Kill Itself
Ginned-up mobs don't love nuance!
10 Examples of Absurd Fallout From the U.K.'s Online Safety Act
The measure is putting up roadblocks for people who want to read about world news, listen to music on Spotify, chat on Discord, play video games, find information about quitting smoking, or join antimasturbation groups.
Capitalism Isn't Why You're Unhappy
Some young adults blame "capitalism" for just about everything. But it's only a convenient scapegoat.
The U.K. Keeps Threatening To Censor American Tech Companies
X has begun restricting content related to Gaza for its U.K. users, and Reddit has implemented age-verification measures to view posts about cigars.
The Leftists Who Celebrate Murder
Plus: Kamala Harris makes the right choice for once, the burning of the birth control, and more...
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr's Meddling in Broadcast Journalism Contradicts His Own Avowed Views
As a minority FCC member during the Bush administration, Carr condemned government interference with newsroom decisions.
X's Win in Federal Court Is a Victory for Free Speech and Open Disclosure
The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has placed minor restraints on the government’s ability to impose gag orders on secret subpoenas issued to tech companies.
The Online Right's Fairy-Tale Gender Politics
Would wealthy men really choose a Waffle House waitress over a girlboss?
This Bill Would Fine Social Media Companies $5 Million Every Day for Not Fighting 'Terrorism'
The STOP HATE Act wants social media platforms to report their moderation policies and outcomes to the government. And it’s not the only censorial measure Rep. Josh Gottheimer wants.
The Feds Roll Back Their Influence Over NPR Only To Claim Greater Influence Over TikTok
Politicians' interest in controlling the content you see shifts from public media to social media.
California Is Advancing a Bill To Punish Social Media Companies for Not Suppressing Speech
Senate Bill 771 would fine platforms up to $1 million if their algorithms relay hate speech to users.
'Subway Surfing' Death Suit Against TikTok, Meta Further Chips Away at Section 230
Norma Nazario blames her son's death on social media algorithms.
Cancel Culture Monkeys and Military Industrial Menaces: James Gunn's Superman Is a Silly Delight
Superman is not "Superwoke."
Did the Secret Service Surveil James Comey Without a Warrant After '86 47' Post?
The former FBI director's cringey Instagram photos are not an "exigent circumstance" that allows law enforcement to circumvent the Constitution.
Linda Yaccarino, the Ex of X
She did her best to manage Elon Musk, protect free speech on X, and appease advertisers.
Trump Won't Enforce the TikTok Ban. Is That Constitutional?
The Constitution requires the president to “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”
Warning: These Social Media Rules Will Erode Civil Liberties
Plus: Pittsburgh lowers prostitution penalty, FSC v. Paxton, the Diddy verdict, and more…
Either Repeal or Enforce—but Ideally Repeal—the TikTok Ban
The ban is a bad law. But leaving it on the books and willfully ignoring it sets a potentially more dangerous precedent.
Legislation Will Not Protect Kids Online
New laws aimed at protecting kids online won’t work, and could even make things worse. Parents, not politicians, are the best defense against digital dangers.
No, That Viral Study Doesn't Show You Can Improve Your Mental Health by Deactivating Instagram
While a viral post called the results “shocking,” the study itself found little evidence that social media use harms mental health.
Student Visa Applicants Will Now Be Forced To Make Their Social Media Accounts Public
The Trump administration continues its war against disfavored speech.
Advertising Companies Cave to the FTC. Media Matters Sues To Defend the First Amendment.
Omnicom Group and the Interpublic Group of Companies accepted the Federal Trade Commission's anti-boycott proviso to complete their merger. Instead of capitulating to the commission, Media Matters is suing.
Big Business as Gun Control
Partly from coercion and partly by choice, many banks and social media businesses impose severe gun controls
It Doesn't Matter If the Minnesota Shooter Is a Republican or a Democrat
After Vance Boelter allegedly targeted Democrats in an attack, some conservatives jumped to claim that he was actually on the left. Why?
FTC Pivots From Competition to Children
The result is the same: attacks on tech companies and attempts to violate Americans' rights.
Review: There Are No Top-Down Solutions to the Problems Depicted in Adolescence
The limited-run Netflix series is fueling a real-life push for the British government to protect kids from online dangers.
12-Year-Old Tennessee Boy Arrested for Instagram Post Says He Was Trying To Warn Students of a School Shooting
Although the school failed to properly assess whether the threat was valid, school officials determined that his expulsion didn’t violate due process.
A Giant Pile of Money Won't Fix Democrats' Joe Rogan Problem
If he's chosen, he ain't Rogan.
