Tag - social-media

 
 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Twitch will be forced to remove all users under the age of 16 when Australia's strict social media laws take effect next month.
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 21, 2025
Livestream giant Twitch to ban under-16s in Australia
The eSafety Commissioner said that the U.S. company — which started out as a platform for gaming streamers — met its criteria to be banned.
Ruling and opposition lawmakers gather for a meeting of the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution on Thursday.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2025
Lawmakers urge tighter rules on social media businesses
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that the European Union's practice of imposing fines on platform operators "can serve as a reference for Japan."
Indonesian military personnel stand guard as residents gather near the area after an explosion occurred at a school complex in Jakarta on Nov. 7.
ASIA PACIFIC / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2025
Indonesian teen's diary and online trail show path to Jakarta mosque blasts
According to police, the teenager had joined an international Telegram channel where members shared violent material and discussed past attacks.
The U.S. government has sought to break up Meta for the past five years.
BUSINESS / Tech
Nov 19, 2025
Meta wins FTC antitrust trial over Instagram and WhatsApp deals
The Federal Trade Commission failed to prove Meta's acquisitions of the apps allowed it to illegally monopolize the social networking market, a district court ruled.
The Justice Ministry is assessing the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 10, 2025
Japan assessing impact of tougher penalties for insults
The Justice Ministry is assessing through an expert panel the impact of tougher penalties for the crime of insult three years after their enforcement through a penal code revision.
Caroline Stage, Danish Minister for Digitalization and representatives from the agreement parties attend a news conference about a new political agreement for better protection of children and young people online, in Copenhagen, on Friday.
WORLD
Nov 8, 2025
Denmark set to ban social media platforms for children under 15
Denmark follows the likes of Australia, which last year imposed a ban on social media for children under 16.
Police have arrested an elementary school teacher in Okayama Prefecture, the seventh and final suspect related to a group of teachers who allegedly shared voyeuristic videos of school girls on social media.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 7, 2025
Final suspect held in case of teachers accused of sharing child sexual abuse images
It was the seventh arrest related to a group of teachers who allegedly shared voyeuristic videos of school girls on social media.
Women hold toys depicting Myaku-Myaku, the official character for the 2025 Osaka Expo, during a media day ahead of the event's public opening day in Osaka in April.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 5, 2025
ChatGPT nickname and Trump tariffs nominated for Japan’s buzzword of 2025
Words and phrases related to the election of Japan’s first female prime minister and the country’s bear problem also made the list of nominations.
Mike Burgess, director-general of security for the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, delivers the 2025 Lowy Lecture in Sydney on Tuesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Nov 5, 2025
Australian spy chief says 'state sanctioned trolls' sowing social discord
Australia faces a trend seen across Western democracies of declining trust and rising disinformation.
Bontan Ame candies are promoted at a convenience store in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward in August, with advertising slogans recommending concert and moviegoers to take the sweet with them.
JAPAN / Society / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Oct 27, 2025
Bontan Ame gains popularity for rumored powers to suppress the urge to pee
Articles compiling the locations in Japan where people can get Bontan Ame can be found on South Korean websites.
Paul Ingrassia, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, at a social event on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington in June.
WORLD / Politics / ANALYSIS
Oct 25, 2025
Violence, racism and Nazi praise: The dark side of U.S. political group chats
Three separate controversies involving leaked text messages from private online group chats have rocked U.S. political circles this month.
Meta's study showed that for teens who said they often felt bad about their bodies after viewing Instagram, "eating disorder adjacent content” made up 10.5% of what they saw, while such content accounted for only 3.3% of what other teens in the study saw.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 21, 2025
Instagram shows more 'eating disorder adjacent' content to vulnerable teens: Meta
The researchers at Meta said their findings did not prove Instagram was making users feel worse about their bodies, noting many could be seeking out such material.
The spread of discriminatory expressions through social media has emerged as a new concern.
JAPAN
Oct 20, 2025
Japan to conduct survey on online hate speech
The Justice Ministry will analyze discriminatory expressions posted on X and other major social media platforms.
Instagram has tightened content filtering for teen accounts to be in tune with the U.S.' PG-13 rating standard used for films.
BUSINESS
Oct 14, 2025
Instagram accounts for teens to be in tune with U.S. PG-13 rating standard
The move comes as Meta and other social media platforms face pressure to show they aren't putting profit and engagement over the well-being of users, especially children.
Europe must break its dependency on U.S. tech monopolies by investing in decentralized, open-protocol social media platforms that empower users, foster innovation and protect democratic discourse.
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2025
Europe can build its own social media
Europe’s systemic dependency on Big Tech’s social-media platforms threatens the continent’s digital sovereignty.
3D printed Telegram and WhatsApp logos are placed on a computer motherboard in this illustration taken January 21, 2021.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 8, 2025
Child protection versus privacy: decision time for EU
Does protecting children justify snooping on private messages?
Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) Chairman Raul Lambino shakes hands with guests during a ceremony for the Award for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding at The Manila Hotel in Manila in June.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Oct 6, 2025
How China waged an infowar against U.S. interests in the Philippines
China paid for a cyber campaign to weaken support for Philippine government policy and to sow discord over Manila's security alliance with the United States.
Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya (center) with other parliament members from the party
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 3, 2025
What’s driving the far-right voters who shook Japanese politics
Sanseito’s slogan is "Japanese First,” and it campaigned on a mix of tax cutting, vaccine skepticism and restrictions on immigration and foreign investment.
According to Meta's rules, advertisers who seek to run political ads in the United States have to undergo a special authorization process.
WORLD / Politics
Oct 2, 2025
Deepfake political scam ads surge on Meta platforms, watchdog says
The ads have reached tens of thousands of the platforms' users.
Smartphones help passengers pass the time on a train near Toyoake, an industrial suburb of Nagoya.
JAPAN
Oct 2, 2025
Can this city make residents put down their smartphones?
The ordinance, which was approved in a 12-7 vote by the city assembly last week, is largely symbolic, but there is heavy social pressure in Japan to follow official guidelines.

Longform

Juzo Itami’s “Tampopo” was released Nov. 23, 1985, and though it wasn’t a hit at the time, it has gained a cult following in the years since.
Eat, slurp, love: 'Tampopo' turns 40