State lawmakers are taking action to keep schools safe by ensuring schools can afford school security. State leaders are hailing the principal of Pauls Valley High School as a hero after he stopped a gunman during a school shooting. Principal Kirk Moore suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. “I cannot say enough good things...Read More

Regular social media use across early adolescence is related to worse reading and vocabulary development over time, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The study found that adolescents who used social media more often each day tend to struggle with recognizing and pronouncing words. The new findings come just as Australia became...Read More

As artificial intelligence marches its steady pace into our day-to-day lives, the safety and privacy of children online continues to be a major concern for several governments and legislatures around the world. Australia became the first country that requires platforms to take reasonable steps to prevent children under age 16 from accessing social media platforms; nearly...Read More

Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter Fifteen-year-old Josiah Owens is considering owning a gun one day because he wants protection. He doesn’t want to suffer the same fate as his best friend, whom he says survived a shooting a couple of years ago. Owens, a sophomore...Read More

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Police in Round Rock arrested a man on Wednesday in connection with a child sexual assault investigation involving multiple victims. Police say 52-year-old Rodney Vaughan Rhynes of Round Rock was taken into custody and charged with aggravated sexual assault of a child and indecency with a child by sexual contact. Rhynes...Read More

Nearly half of America’s teenagers say social media harms young people their age, according to data from the Pew Research Center. Members of Congress have been working to add guardrails that would protect children from dangers online, but it’s been a long struggle. What You Need To Know Nearly half of America’s teenagers say social...Read More

As child social media bans spread across Europe and beyond, Estonia isn’t having it. On Friday, the country’s education minister said the bans won’t “actually solve problems,” while warning that the kids will find a way regardless. Although companies like Meta would love for you to believe it’s a fairy tale, social media addiction is...Read More

Peer pressure isn’t what it used to be — a new study has found more teens feel pressured to be online than they do to smoke, vape, ditch class and even drink. The poll of 2,000 American children aged 11 to 17 found 44% feel peer pressure to be online or on social media. That’s...Read More

The Andhra Pradesh government is working out a draft legislation seeking to introduce a comprehensive regulatory framework to restrict access to social media for children below 13 years and to design an age-appropriate digital environment for teenagers, officials said on Friday. Andhra Pradesh: Bill to curb kids’ social media access on anvil A group of...Read More

Op-Eds originally published in Reason Tech companies that create social media apps should not be blamed for the complex mental issues of everyone who might use them. The definition of a trade-off is “a balancing of factors all of which are not attainable at the same time.” We know there are no perfect choices in...Read More