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Spain Moves to Protect Kids From 'Digital Wild West'

Country goes after AI-generated child sexual-abuse content on social media, including X, Meta, TikTok

(Newser) - Spain just dialed up Europe's clash with Big Tech, asking prosecutors to probe X, Meta, and TikTok over suspected AI-generated child sexual-abuse imagery on their platforms. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez accused the companies of harming children's "mental health, dignity, and rights" and said their "impunity" must...

Hollywood Nervously Eyes a Phony Pitt-Cruise Clip

Industry fears job losses, likeness abuse after AI tool from ByteDance makes eerily realistic video

(Newser) - Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt haven't reunited on screen, but a 15-second fake fight between their AI-generated doubles just rattled Hollywood. The short clip , created by Irish director Ruairi Robinson using Seedance 2.0—an advanced video tool from TikTok owner ByteDance—looks eerily like a real studio production,...

Kai Trump Is Quickly Developing Her Own Brand

Trump's 18-year-old granddaughter leverages TikTok fame and White House access

(Newser) - President Trump's eldest grandchild says she wants no part of politics—but her social-media life is thriving in the heart of it. Kai Trump, 18, has built an 8-million-strong following across social media sites like TikTok and Instagram , chronicling her days as a student-athlete and granddaughter of the president,...

Anna Kepner's Stepbrother Arrested Over Cruise Killing

It's not yet clear what charges boy, 16, will face after Carnival cruise death of 18-year-old

(Newser) - The stepbrother of 18-year-old Anna Kepner, who was found dead aboard a Carnival cruise ship in November, has been arrested in connection with her death, according to his stepfather. Chris Kepner says that the unnamed 16-year-old, who faces unspecified charges in the death that has been ruled a homicide by...

Harris Relaunches Campaign Accounts, With a Change

KamalaHQ becomes 'Headquarters,' described as a lasting progressive organizing project

(Newser) - Kamala Harris is trying to turn her old campaign hype machine into a permanent political tool. The former vice president and 2024 Democratic nominee has relaunched her popular KamalaHQ accounts on X and TikTok , rebranded simply "Headquarters," described as an "online organizing project for next generation campaigning....

Boy, 9, Severely Burned After Microwaving Viral Toy

Illinois hospital notes multiple similar burn cases tied to online challenges

(Newser) - A 9-year-old Illinois boy was left with serious burns after a viral challenge gone wrong. Loyola Medicine says Caleb Chabolla put his NeeDoh cube—a squishy sensory toy—into the microwave on Jan. 20 after hearing from a classmate that heating it up was a thing to try. His mother,...

'Ms. Shirley,' a 'First Responder' for the Homeless, Dies at 58

Advocate Shirley Raines, who founded Beauty 2 the Streetz, used social media to spread the word

(Newser) - Shirley Raines, who turned makeup kits, hot meals, and a smartphone into a national platform for people living on the streets of Los Angeles, has died at 58. The Clark County Coroner's Office in Nevada confirmed her Tuesday death; the cause hasn't yet been released, per the Washington ...

Jeff Buckley Died in 1997, Now Has a Top 100 Hit

Buckley's 1994 ballad finds new life through TikTok streams

(Newser) - Jeff Buckley just landed on a chart he never reached while alive. Nearly three decades after his death, the singer-songwriter has scored his first appearance on Billboard's Hot 100: "Lover, You Should Have Come Over" took slot No. 97 this week, powered by a wave of TikTok interest...

TikTok Settles Ahead of Looming Youth Addiction Trial

Meta, YouTube are in the hot seat at trial amid accusations they deliberately harm kids

(Newser) - TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff's attorneys confirmed. The social video platform was one of three companies—along with Meta's Instagram and Google's YouTube—facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A...

TikTok's New US Owner Explains Massive Outage

Outage blamed on US data center power failure disrupting feeds

(Newser) - TikTok's new US caretaker is starting its tenure with an apology, the BBC reports. After a messy weekend for the app, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC said it was working to fix widespread outages linked to what it called a power failure at a US data center. More than...

These Social Media Influencers Want You Off Social Media

Cottage industry has sprung up of online notables encouraging users to stop doomscrolling

(Newser) - It's simple to accidentally become entranced by an endless loop of videos on Instagram or TikTok. Sometimes, though, that extended scroll is interrupted by a reminder that what you thought was a 10-minute break spent on your phone was closer to 30 minutes. Olivia Yokubonis, a content creator known...

'House Burping' Is Catching On in US

The idea of opening windows regularly for ventilation plays off Germany's 'lüften'

(Newser) - This week's odd viral term: "house burping." All kinds of outlets are writing about the trend, which involves briefly opening the windows of a home for ventilation—even in the dead of winter. As IFL Science explains, this is actually an age-old practice in Germany known as...

TikTok Finalizes Deal to Stay in the US
TikTok Is in the
US to Stay
Jan 23, 2026 12:30 AM CST

TikTok Is in the US to Stay

Social video platform finalizes deal to create American version of the app

(Newser) - TikTok has finalized a deal to create a new American version of the app, avoiding the looming threat of a ban in the US that has been in discussion for years, the AP reports. The social video platform company signed agreements with major investors including Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX...

Snap Avoids First Big Tech Addiction Trial

Company settles suit, leaving Meta, YouTube, TikTok to defend against alleged harms

(Newser) - Snap has avoided the witness stand in the first in a series of trials over alleged social media addiction. The company has struck a deal to resolve a high-stakes lawsuit that claimed its products were intentionally designed to keep teens endlessly engaged, days before the case moved to trial, per...

Why Northeastern Students Are Choosing the SEC

TikTok, Greek life and cheaper tuition lure Northerners south

(Newser) - High school seniors aren't just choosing colleges anymore—they're choosing Instagram locations. Vox reports that as application season winds down, students from the Northeast are increasingly enrolling at large Southern public universities, particularly schools in the Southeastern Conference, drawn by campuses that promise spectacle, community, and a highly...

Sting's Ex-Bandmates Want $10M From Him

Streaming royalties a key issue in battle over 'Every Breath You Take,' which could extend to other hits

(Newser) - A bitter court fight over "Every Breath You Take" is dragging the Police back into the kind of turmoil that marked the song's creation more than 40 years ago. At issue this week in London's High Court is whether Sting's former bandmates, drummer Stewart Copeland and...

Worker at Hilton Hotel Fired After ICE Warning

Gia's post and subsequent firing in Dallas spark boycott calls and threats

(Newser) - A valet worker at a Hilton hotel in Dallas says she lost her job after posting a TikTok video warning that federal immigration agents were staying in the building. The 20-year-old, who identifies herself only as Gia for safety reasons, filmed a short video Wednesday at the Hilton Anatole showing...

There's a New 'Karen' in Town
There's a
New 'Karen'
in Town
Jan 10, 2026 7:30 AM CST

There's a New 'Karen' in Town

Gen Z is using 'Jessica' for another way to explain a certain 'entitled' stereotype

(Newser) - Gen Z appears to have filed "Karen" under "outdated internet slang" and pulled a new name from the complaint counter: "Jessica." The once-ubiquitous Karen meme took off around 2018 on Reddit as shorthand for a certain brand of entitled behavior—think demanding to "speak to...

Influencers, OnlyFans Models Dominate Elite US Artist Visas

Attorneys say follower counts now help prove 'extraordinary' ability to qualify for O-1B visas

(Newser) - The visa once used to keep John Lennon in the United States is now helping TikTok stars and OnlyFans creators stay put, too. Immigration attorneys say applicants for the O-1B visa—meant for foreign nationals with "extraordinary" talent in the arts—are increasingly social media influencers and subscription-based models,...

Disney Grapples With Epcot's 'Drink Around the World' Trend

Veterans of the usually boozy adventure have mixed approaches, while staffers try to wrangle the drunks

(Newser) - At one Florida Disney park, the thrill ride isn't on a track—it's in a glass. At Epcot, the unofficial "Drinking Around the World" challenge—knocking back a beverage in each of the 11 World Showcase countries—has morphed from low-key fan tradition into a social-media sport,...

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