Snapchat Archives - Tennessee Star

Tennessee School District Sues Big Tech Giants, Claims Social Media Harmful to Children

May 26, 2023May 26, 2023 Peter D'Abrosca

According to multiple Thursday reports, the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System (CMCSs) is filing a lawsuit against several Silicon Valley titans of industry, claiming that social media is having a debilitating effect on its students.

The Frantz Law Group of California, working with the Tennessee law firm Lewis Thomason, filed the lawsuit the week of May 8, according to ClarksvilleNow.com. The defendants in the suit include Facebook, Google, Instagram, Meta, Snapchat, TikTok, WhatsApp and YouTube.

Ohio Proposal Aims to Require Verified Parental Consent Before Kids Can Use Social Media

February 9, 2023February 8, 2023 Hannah Poling

A new proposal spearheaded by Ohio Lt. Gov. Jon Husted would require certain online companies to obtain verified parental consent before permitting kids ages 16 and under to use their platforms.

The executive budget for 2023–24 that Governor Mike DeWine submitted last week to the Ohio General Assembly includes the Social Media Parental Notification Act.

Social Media Use in Children Linked to Significant Brain Changes

January 6, 2023January 5, 2023 Susan Berry, PhD

A new study from the University of North Carolina shows children and teens who frequently check social media may become more sensitive in the long term to “social feedback” in the form of “likes” and “dislikes” at a time when the brain is experiencing significant developmental changes.

In the study, published at the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Pediatrics, researchers Maria Maza, et al, investigated whether the frequency with which middle-school age children check their Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat social media accounts is associated with long-term changes in brain development as they mature further into adolescence.

Snap Let Democratic Campaign Groups Scoop Up GOP Voter Data

September 9, 2022September 8, 2022 Admin

Several prominent Democratic campaign groups accessed Republican voter data as a result of what Snap, the owner of Snapchat, called an unintentional data leak, allowing those groups to optimize midterm ads, Axios reported.

Tennessee Sen. Blackburn Blasts YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat Execs for Allowing Dangerous Content

October 27, 2021October 26, 2021 Bradley Vasoli

A U.S. Senate committee investigating the promotion of material harmful to young people on social media expanded beyond Facebook and Instagram Tuesday to include the video-sharing sites YouTube and TikTok as well as the Snapchat messaging application.

Therein, Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) deplored the health-threatening viral challenges (e.g. binge drinking, the infamous “cinnamon challenge”), enticements toward illegal drugs, encouragements to engage in drastic dieting and presentations of child-sex abuse that she said have been purveyed to children and teens via these websites. She raised particular alarm regarding minors she said have been led into illicit sexual relationships on Snapchat.

Snapchat Tries to Stop Users from Buying Fentanyl on Its Platform, but It’s ‘Too Little Too Late’ for Some

October 8, 2021October 7, 2021 Admin

Snapchat is putting in place new safety measures to try and stop young users buying and selling fentanyl on its platform, the company announced Thursday.

The company unveiled an in-app education portal called “Heads Up” in a blog post Thursday designed to provide young users with information from substance abuse advocacy groups including Song for Charlie, Shatterproof, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on the dangers of fentanyl. Snapchat also said it is planning on adding health information from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention in the coming weeks.

Michigan Bill Responds to Student Facing Up to 20 Years in Prison for Posting Picture of Gun Online

February 16, 2020February 15, 2020 Anthony Gockowski

A bill making its way through the Michigan House seeks to tighten the state’s definition of terrorism after a Lake Superior State University student was charged for posting a picture of his AR-15 on Snapchat.

Sens. Blackburn, Masto Introduce Bill to Help Police Better Prosecute Online Child Exploitation Cases

December 11, 2019December 10, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) are taking steps to combat online child exploitation.

Snapchat Serves as a ‘Child Predator’s Dream,’ Sen. Blackburn Tells Snap CEO While Demanding Answers on How it Protects Minors

July 9, 2019July 8, 2019 Jason M. Reynolds

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) on Monday wrote a letter urging the CEO of Snap, Evan Spiegel, to take action to protect children from sexual predators and being exposed to explicit adult content while using Snapchat. “In 2019, our children are living an unprecedented amount of their young lives…