Are the Cornell 7 Being Tried on Social Media?
Plus: Tennessee botches the execution of Christa Pike, and Sam Altman says the benefits of AI are worth the risks.
Social Media
Whistleblower Frances Haugen Trashes Facebook's Flawed Fact-Checkers
Frances Haugen, the woman whose Facebook revelations inspired The Social Reckoning, argues that the real danger of social media isn’t bad speech—it’s the way the platforms are designed.
The End of Social Media
Algorithms and short-form video drove engagement. They also made it easier to quit.
The Millennial Internet Is Dead, and Politicians Killed It.
Social media use is declining, and what's left has shifted from conversation to passive scrolling.
Rand Paul Was Right To Block the Senate's Attempt To Censor the Internet
The bill’s “duty of care” could pressure platforms to suppress lawful speech in the name of protecting children.
Kids Are Using NPR Podcast Comments as Secret Group Chats
Teenagers barred from social media are turning obscure corners of the internet into makeshift chat rooms.
TikTok's $100 Million Settlement With Alabama Is No Win for the Public
TikTok must implement several new "safety" features, including time limits for kids and strict age-verification measures.
Aaron Sorkin Accidentally Made Mark Zuckerberg the Hero of His Anti-Facebook Movie
In the latest trailer for The Social Reckoning, the Zuck character stridently rebuts pro-censorship arguments.
The E.U. Just Proposed Its Most Sweeping Social Media Restriction to Date
The KIDS Act could age-gate the internet for hundreds of millions of users.
Why Kids Need More Freedom
Psychologist Peter Gray discusses why kids need more unstructured play, how schools are fueling childhood anxiety, and why smartphones aren’t to blame.
Restoring Childhood Says It's Not Smartphones Making Teens Miserable. It's School.
Computers, video games, and the internet actually helped "restore childhood" in the 1990s, suggests psychologist Peter Gray in a new book. Then changes to our education system reversed those gains.
Is AI Really an Existential Threat?
Plus: California's new restrictions on social media, Trump's $5,000 “dividend,” and the future of libertarianism.
This California Social Media Law is a Privacy and Free Speech 'Nightmare'
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed more than a dozen online safety and tech regulation bills into law this week.
Why So Many Men Feel Lost
Jon Ronson discusses why old social structures are breaking down, the rise of online identity, and what happens when people lose a sense of meaning.
Prosecutors Say a North Carolina Teenager Committed Murder by Livestreaming a California Mosque Shooting
The case smacks of a desire for retribution that cannot be satisfied by prosecuting the actual killers, who committed suicide.
Trump Wants the FCC To Punish His Enemies
Plus: the escalating war with Iran, Meta's $17 billion settlement, and Milo Yiannopoulos gets deported.
What Craigslist and Backpage Can Tell Us About the Meta Settlement
It doesn't matter if you're right. If you don't cave, the government might stop at nothing to destroy you.
Elon Musk's X Loses First Amendment Challenge to New York's 'Stop Hiding Hate Act'
Musk's X Corp., along with other social media companies operating in the state, must disclose whether and how it defines hate speech and disinformation.
Haidt's Moment
Plus: The scourge of scromiting, blaming air traffic control, and more...
Video Games Are Not Making Men Miserable
Video games, pornography, and gambling: One of these things just doesn't belong!
Rubio Uses Terrorism Law To Ban Secure Email Service
The State Department doesn’t accuse Autistici/Inventati of doing anything more than providing "untraceable" email accounts. But that’s enough to outlaw it as a terrorist organization.
How Did America Get $40 Trillion in Debt?
Plus: Trump's trade war with Canada, the growing backlash against data centers, and calls to censor journalists in Britain
Study: Most Mealtime Screen Time Is TV, Not Social Media
What a new study of mealtime screen time does—and does not—say.
As France Pauses Social Media Ban, American Lawmakers Race To Restrict the Internet
France's top court ruled that a social media ban for under-15s would infringe on free expression and privacy.
How Karoline Leavitt Changed the White House Press Room
The new media seat was a good idea.
Trump Media Is Selling Early Access to the President's Truth Social Posts for $100,000 a Month
Press groups are suing Trump Media over the scheme, calling it “profoundly corrupt.”
Another Social Media 'Addiction' Trial Starts Today. Its Claims Are Weak—but Dangerous.
Meta is on trial for fomenting "FOMO," among other things. It sounds silly, but the playbook used here could work against religious groups, fast food, and much more.
How Flock Camera Defenders Are Missing the Point
Robby Soave and Amber Duke attack The Free Press' latest attempt to defend Flock cameras.
Police Department in South Carolina Says It Has 'Zero Tolerance for Hate Speech'
A free speech organization sent a letter to the police department last week, calling its anti–hate speech post unconstitutional.
ICE Spent $525 Million on Surveillance Tech. Some of It Is Infringing on Americans' Freedom of Speech.
New details emerge regarding the Trump administration's surveillance dragnet cracking down on its online critics.
A Major 'Online Safety' Bill Cleared a Senate Committee. More Crackdowns on Internet Freedom Could Be Coming.
The Senate Commerce committee advanced four bills related to online and AI safety in the name of protecting children.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
Records Show the Government Illegally Surveilled James Comey and Confirm the Absurdity of Its Case Against Him
The Secret Service asserted a nonexistent "emergency" to track Comey's cellphone, and the FBI's evidence falls far short of proving his seashell picture was a crime.
'Class Divide' in Teen Social Media Habits Could Explain Differences Between Heavy and Light Users
A new survey finds most teens use social media moderately, though class divides persist.
Nigel Farage's Reform U.K. Party Reports Green Party Leader's Guillotine Instagram Post to Police
Farage condemns the British government's habit of police action in free speech cases, but wants his political opponent arrested for an Instagram post.
France Passes Social Media Ban for Under-15s, Leading Europe's Crackdown on Internet Freedom
French President Emmanuel Macron has advocated for social media bans before. Now, he's gotten his wish before leaving office.
Are the Epstein Files a Moral Panic?
Journalist Michael Tracey and professor Marcella Szablewicz debate the Epstein scandal and the public reaction to the files.
The U.K. Wants a Social Media Curfew for 16- and 17-Year-Olds
Tech companies may soon have to comply with yet another U.K. regulation.
European Commission Moves Us One Step Closer to the End of the Open Internet
It's coming faster than you might think.
Pew Poll: 56% of U.S. Adults Support Social Media Ban for Everyone Under 16
The anti-social media crusaders have popular support. That should worry online freedom advocates.
U.K. Might Force Social Platforms To Give Government-Backed Media Special Status
Plus: The Democrats' Project 2029 would ban minors from social media, the Supreme Court protects private data in geofence warrant ruling, and more...
Democrats' First 'Project 2029' Proposal: More Government Control Over Social Media
Semafor reported on Project 2029’s "Kids Over Clicks" proposal, which outlines Democrats' plans to regulate social media and AI companies.
ICE Warns Syracuse Poll Worker To Delete a Political Instagram Post
Federal law can punish true threats, and doxing intended to facilitate violence. But this woman simply named a government agent, which is not a crime.
6th Circuit Backs Ban on Ohio Minors Using Social Media Without Parental Permission
The court said the law—which would require age verification for everyone—constitutes only a “marginal burden” and "does not raise meaningful concerns about muting valuable protected discourse."
