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California’s Governor Signs Landmark Online Child Safety Bills

10 September 2026 at 16:49
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill that prohibits social media platforms from providing addictive features to users under 16, the first law of its kind in the nation.

© Eric Ryan Anderson for The New York Times

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s actions follow a series of social media trials this year, in which thousands of teenagers, schools and states have accused Meta, Snap, TikTok and YouTube of hooking young users with products being compared to cigarettes.

Cleaner Air, Smarter Toddlers

3 September 2026 at 14:11
New research links climate policies to improved early-childhood development.

© Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Researchers at Columbia University followed more than a thousand children between 1998 and 2020, testing their cognitive development.

Why Countries Are Pushing Social Media Bans Despite Their Flaws

28 August 2026 at 09:46
Proposals for curbing social media use among children have wide support, but critics say they are ineffective.

© Jeremy Piper/Reuters

Teenagers in Australia on their phones. The country’s social media ban, which took effect in December, has so far failed to keep children off the platforms.

“Anxious Generation” Author Jonathan Haidt on the Meta Settlement

27 August 2026 at 11:49
In “The Anxious Generation,” he laid out the evils of social media for kids. The landmark Meta settlement seems to agree.

© Lila Barth for The New York Times

Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book on the harms to children from social media was a best seller.

What Does $17.1 Billion Mean for Meta?

27 August 2026 at 12:16
The Silicon Valley company agreed to pay up to $17.1 billion in penalties as part of a landmark settlement with states over social media addiction claims.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

Meta’s entire stock value stands at $1.45 trillion. The $17.1 billion penalty is about 1 percent of that.

Instagram Chief Says ‘No Silver Bullets’ for Teen Safety in Bellwether Trial

25 August 2026 at 18:38
Adam Mosseri testified in a case brought by states that claim the Meta-owned app created addictive features to hook young users.

© Karl Mondon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Adam Mosseri, the chief executive of Instagram, arriving at federal court in Oakland, Calif., on Tuesday.

TikTok Settles With U.S. Over Child Privacy Concerns for $400 Million

21 August 2026 at 19:24
The Justice Department resolved a lawsuit that accused the social media company of illegally gathering children’s information.

© Anna Barclay/Getty Images

The government’s 2024 suit claimed that TikTok gathered data from users under the age of 13 without parental permission.

Meta to Stand Trial Over Claims It Addicted Children to Social Media

19 August 2026 at 00:58
California, Colorado, Kentucky and New Jersey have taken the social media giant to trial in the first bellwether federal case over child harm.

© Jason Henry for The New York Times

During the trial, to be held in the U.S. District Court of Oakland, Calif., four states are expected to argue that Meta violated federal child privacy and state consumer protection laws.
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