Social Media
U.K. 'Looking Seriously' at Including Online Marketplaces Like eBay and Depop in Teen Social Media Ban
Carded before shopping on eBay? That could be a reality in the U.K.
Europe's Plot To End Americans' Online Anonymity
European regulators and NGOs are pushing their domestic speech laws and surveillance onto the American internet. But there's a way to fight back.
Anakin Skywalker Is a Great Character, Not a Great Role Model
The online right is again meme-ing its way toward a profound misunderstanding of the Star Wars protagonist.
Hasan Piker's Defamation Suit Against Scott Jennings Isn't As Simple as It Seems
Proving that Jennings acted with "actual malice" might be difficult.
The U.K.'s Online Safety Act Has Been a Failure. Regulators Want To Broaden It Anyway.
A new report reveals more shortcomings of the U.K.’s Online Safety Act.
Worst Nathan for You–Style Scheme Ever? A Polling Company Claimed Its Fake Polls Were a Social Experiment.
Information regulation is not the way to stop online hoaxes. But that doesn’t mean we should stop searching for the truth.
X Bans Former Libertarian Party Affiliate—After the State Requests It
Gov. Kelly Ayotte urged X to kick out the Libertarian Party's former New Hampshire affiliate. The next day, the account was suspended.
Mark Cuban: 'I'd Get Rid of All Political Parties'
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban discusses breaking up Big Medicine, why he wants to abolish political parties, and how Ayn Rand shaped his views on capitalism.
Aaron Sorkin's New Anti-Facebook Movie Is a Stunning Act of Self-Satisfied Cowardice
This smug, simplistic film blames Facebook for all that's wrong with the world, ignoring the messy reality of humans and politics.
Trump Has Been Trampling Free Speech for More Than 40 Years—and It Keeps Getting Worse
The president stands out from his modern predecessors by openly displaying his contempt for the First Amendment.
A Missouri School District Censored a Parent's Negative Facebook Emoji Because It Was 'Upsetting'
Annie Palmer was banned from the district's Facebook page for expressing her displeasure at the hiring of a new elementary school principal.
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.
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.
