Social Media

Alberta Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the province is moving to ban cellphones in kindergarten to Grade 12 classrooms starting in the fall. Nicolaides is sworn into cabinet, in Edmonton, Friday, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson.

Alberta bans cellphones in school classrooms this fall

Personal devices must be turned off and stored out of sight during class time

 

FILE - The U.S. Surgeon General’s Warning appears on a pack of Camel cigarettes purchased at a Chicago area news stand on Nov. 30, 2012. In a Monday, June 17, 2024, opinion piece for The New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, File)

Social media access should come with health warning: US surgeon-general

America’s top doctor wants product labeled in similar fashion to cigarette packages

 

FILE - A child holds an iPhone at an Apple store on Sept. 25, 2015 in Chicago. Parents — and even some teens themselves — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

Keeping your kids safe on social media: what parents should know

Monitoring and moderating your child’s online activity an increasingly difficult act

 

Five more Ontario school boards and two private schools are suing social media giants Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, June 14, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Thibault Camus

Schools versus social media: More Ontario officials join legal fight

Suit alleges platforms negligently designed for compulsive use, have rewired way children think

Five more Ontario school boards and two private schools are suing social media giants Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, June 14, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP Photo/Thibault Camus
British Columbia Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Jan. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

B.C. strikes ‘historic’ intimate image deal with social media giants

Meta, Google, TikTok, X and Snap Inc. agree to accelerate efforts to get images taken down quickly

British Columbia Premier David Eby speaks during a news conference in Surrey, B.C., on Jan. 26, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks about the upcoming wildfire season at the West Kelowna Fire Rescue hall in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, May 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Hemens

Trudeau pokes Meta for its news ban as wildfire season looms in B.C.

PM calls dispute with social media giant a ‘test moment’ during fire hall stop in West Kelowna

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks about the upcoming wildfire season at the West Kelowna Fire Rescue hall in West Kelowna, B.C., on Friday, May 10, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Hemens
FILE - James Walter uses a phone at home in the Queens borough of New York, on April 7, 2021. Sleep scientists long ago established that insufficient sleep is linked with poor health outcomes, anxiety, obesity and several other negative effects. The research is equally conclusive that smartphones are particularly disruptive to the circadian clock that regulates sleep and other hormones. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski, File)

Screen saver: how to stop your late-night doomscrolling habit

We know late-night screens are bad for sleep, but how do you put down your phone in bed?

FILE - James Walter uses a phone at home in the Queens borough of New York, on April 7, 2021. Sleep scientists long ago established that insufficient sleep is linked with poor health outcomes, anxiety, obesity and several other negative effects. The research is equally conclusive that smartphones are particularly disruptive to the circadian clock that regulates sleep and other hormones. (AP Photo/Jessie Wardarski, File)
FILE - Adele, winner of the award for best pop solo performance for “Easy on Me,” poses in the press room at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Top artists return to TikTok after deal struck with Universal Music

Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish coming back to popular social media platform

FILE - Adele, winner of the award for best pop solo performance for “Easy on Me,” poses in the press room at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Artists from Universal Music Group, which include Drake, Adele, Bad Bunny and Billie Eilish, will be returning to TikTok as the two parties have struck a new licensing agreement following an approximately three-month long dispute. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
The TikTok Inc. logo is seen on their building in Culver City, Calif., Monday, March 11, 2024. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but says his own government will continue to look out for the security of Canadians. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Damian Dovarganes

Trudeau quiet on looming U.S. TikTok ban

Prime Minister says he’s looking after Canadians in the face of increasing security concerns

The TikTok Inc. logo is seen on their building in Culver City, Calif., Monday, March 11, 2024. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he’s not going to comment on the future of TikTok in the United States, but says his own government will continue to look out for the security of Canadians. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Damian Dovarganes
A TikTok content creator, sits outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Sell or face ban, U.S. tells social media giant TikTok

Senate passes bill forcing TikTok’s parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature

A TikTok content creator, sits outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
A TikTok content creator, sits outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

What a TikTok ban in the US could mean for you

No, TikTok will not suddenly disappear from your phone. Nor will you…

A TikTok content creator, sits outside the U.S. Capitol, Tuesday, April 23, 2024, in Washington as Senators prepare to consider legislation that would force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)
The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Kiichiro Sato

School districts suing social media firms for disrupting their classrooms

Suits claim addictive platforms have rewired child behavioour, leaving schools to manage fallout

The TikTok app logo appears in Tokyo on Sept. 28, 2020.THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Kiichiro Sato
Trolls, both foreign and domestic, cause misinformation and panic to flood the internet, according to Brandon Laur, CEO of White Hatter, an internet safety and digital literacy education specialist company. (Black Press Media file photo)

Trolls are trolls, foreign or domestic says B.C. internet safety specialist

Checking account histories, establishing forum guidelines can help

Trolls, both foreign and domestic, cause misinformation and panic to flood the internet, according to Brandon Laur, CEO of White Hatter, an internet safety and digital literacy education specialist company. (Black Press Media file photo)
The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, March 18, 2023, in Boston. The federal industry minister says Canadians shouldn’t worry about using TikTok despite an ongoing national security review. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer

Canadians, parents shouldn’t worry about TikTok security review: minister

‘I think Canadians and parents should be happy to see that we were ahead of the curve’

The TikTok logo is seen on a mobile phone in front of a computer screen which displays the TikTok home screen, March 18, 2023, in Boston. The federal industry minister says Canadians shouldn’t worry about using TikTok despite an ongoing national security review. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Michael Dwyer
Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma speak at the B.C. legislature on March 14, 2024, to discuss a new proposed law that would allow the province to take major companies to court if their actions harm British Columbians at a population level. (Wolf Depner/Black Press Media)

Legislation to allow B.C. to sue social media giants, others for ‘hurting people’

Bill paves path for B.C. to sue distributors of ‘harmful content’ including social media companies

Premier David Eby and Attorney General Niki Sharma speak at the B.C. legislature on March 14, 2024, to discuss a new proposed law that would allow the province to take major companies to court if their actions harm British Columbians at a population level. (Wolf Depner/Black Press Media)
The Liberal government ordered a national security review of popular video app TikTok in September 2023 but did not disclose it publicly. The TikTok startup page is displayed on a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Trudeau says Canada watching TikTok debate in U.S.

Review ongoing feds reveal in the wake of US action toward a ban on Chinese social media giant

The Liberal government ordered a national security review of popular video app TikTok in September 2023 but did not disclose it publicly. The TikTok startup page is displayed on a cellphone in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Facebook employees unveil a new logo and the name “Meta” on the sign in front of Facebook headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Menlo Park, Calif. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

Widespread Meta outage raises the uneasy spectre of losing our stories

Social media spaces have filled in important space where humans are humans

Facebook employees unveil a new logo and the name “Meta” on the sign in front of Facebook headquarters on Thursday, Oct. 28, 2021, in Menlo Park, Calif. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
FILE - The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, on June 14, 2023. Facebook and Instagram users will start seeing labels on AI-generated images that appear on their social media feeds, part of a broader tech industry initiative to sort between what’s real and not. Meta said Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 it’s working with industry partners on technical standards that will make it easier to identify images and eventually video and audio generated by artificial intelligence tools. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)

UPDATE: Facebook, Instagram back after problems reported around the world

Meta says log-in problems were addressed within a few hours, apologizes for inconvenience

FILE - The Meta logo is seen at the Vivatech show in Paris, France, on June 14, 2023. Facebook and Instagram users will start seeing labels on AI-generated images that appear on their social media feeds, part of a broader tech industry initiative to sort between what’s real and not. Meta said Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024 it’s working with industry partners on technical standards that will make it easier to identify images and eventually video and audio generated by artificial intelligence tools. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus, File)
A new generation of romance novel consumers has moved a long-standing three-way conversation between reader, writer and publisher onto social media, industry insiders say, speeding up an already fast-moving segment of the publishing world. A Sept. 27, 2014 photo shows a solid wall of 4,000 paperback romance novels spelling out the word “FOREVER” in an art installation at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Beth J. Harpaz

How social media is changing the romance novel business

Dialogue with the fans accelerating and broadening the scope of romantic storytelling

A new generation of romance novel consumers has moved a long-standing three-way conversation between reader, writer and publisher onto social media, industry insiders say, speeding up an already fast-moving segment of the publishing world. A Sept. 27, 2014 photo shows a solid wall of 4,000 paperback romance novels spelling out the word “FOREVER” in an art installation at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Ark. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Beth J. Harpaz
FILE - Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)

Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny and more may vanish from TikTok in licensing dispute

Deal between social media platform and Universal Music Group has expired

FILE - Taylor Swift performs at the Monumental stadium during her Eras Tour concert in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)