UK police chiefs call for ban on social media for under-16s
Senior police officers have urged the government to ban under 16s from social media, amid claims the platforms are “fuelling” crime.
Four senior police chiefs told The Times that tighter controls on social media platforms need to be introduced for national security, public safety and young people’s mental health.
It comes after Netflix’s hit TV show Adolescence highlighted the dangers of social media and smartphones for teenagers.
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LinkedIn launches new mini-site focussed on posting tips
LinkedIn has launched a new ‘Create on LinkedIn’ mini-site, which includes a range of posting tips, best practices, examples and more.
There’s a range of posting tips, including key fundamentals of engaging LinkedIn content, and a section focused on video specifically which includes performance tips, notes on ideal length, and an overview of LinkedIn video specs.
The platform recently reported that video watch time in the app rose 36% year-on-year, while video content also generates 1.4x more engagement than other formats.
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TikTok launches expanded creator incentive program to fend off advances from Instagram
As Meta gears up to target TikTok creators in a new push, TikTok’s looking to retain them via a new, invite-only ‘Specialised Rewards Program’, which will provide additional monetisation opportunities for selected creators in the app.
TikTok is now alerting selected users to its new incentive program, which it claims “rewards contributors for contributing stand-out, high-quality content on some of the platform’s most valued content areas, including Film and TV, Auto, Learning, and Sports”.
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YouTube considers a daily timer for users looking to cut back on Shorts
Recent findings from the beta version of the YouTube app, first reported by Android Authority, suggest that the platform is developing a feature to help users stop the endless scrolling through Shorts.
YouTube confirmed to TechCrunch that, while this feature is not currently being publicly tested, it is “exploring this for the future”.
This comes as it already has a “Take a Break” reminder that users can enable for regular-length videos on the platform.
YouTube’s exploration into the anti-doomscrolling area follows a growing trend among users downloading apps dedicated to limiting their screen time.
Read more here.
Bluesky rolls out a revamped search page and emoji reactions in DMs
Bluesky is updating its app to version 1.100, it includes a more comprehensive search page and new chat reactions.
The search page is now known as ‘Explore’, where you can find trending topics, suggested accounts and starter packs to discover pages for you to follow on the app.
There’s also a shortcut at the top to edit interests that inform what you see on the Explore page, but you can hide that and adjust your interests later in Settings > Content and media.
Read more here.