Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement
Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement

Recently released documents show the big business opportunity that social media companies saw in recruiting teens to their platforms and how they discussed risks that heavy digital engagement could pose. The documents were released last week as part of a major set of trials brought by school districts, state attorneys general, and others against Meta, […]

2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning
2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning

Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, and YouTube face claims that tech addiction harmed a […]

If you use Google AI for symptoms, know it cites YouTube a lot

A study of 50,807 German health searches found Google’s AI Overviews cite YouTube more than any other site. The AI also pulls links beyond top results, so quick symptom answers can lean on lower-bar sources.
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YouTube will soon let creators make Shorts with their own AI likeness

YouTube Shorts viewers might soon see AI versions of their favorite creators when scrolling through their feeds.

YouTube TV will launch custom multiview and channel packages ‘soon’
YouTube TV will launch custom multiview and channel packages ‘soon’

YouTube TV is getting ready to launch two major updates that will allow you to watch multiple non-sports channels simultaneously, as well as choose from 10 new paid plans focused on a range of topics, including sports, entertainment, and news. In his annual letter to users, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says both of these changes […]

YouTubers will be able to make Shorts with their own AI likenesses
YouTubers will be able to make Shorts with their own AI likenesses

Your YouTube Shorts feed might soon be filled with a lot more AI-generated content from your favorite creators – including AI-generated versions of the creators themselves. In his annual letter released today, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says that sometime this year, creators will be able to make Shorts using their “own likeness.” Mohan didn’t share […]

YouTube relaxes monetization guidelines for some controversial topics

These controversial topics include self-harm, abortion, suicide, and domestic and sexual abuse.

Your teen’s YouTube Shorts scrolling can now have a hard cap

YouTube now lets parents cap Shorts scrolling on supervised teen accounts, and it’s working on a zero setting that can shut the feed off. It’s a tighter, more targeted control than generic screen time.
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Parents can put a time limit on YouTube Shorts scrolling
Parents can put a time limit on YouTube Shorts scrolling

Parents can now manually set a time limit on their kids’ YouTube Shorts feed, ranging from fifteen minutes to two hours (with an option for zero minutes coming soon). The update, announced on Wednesday, takes the Shorts time limit feature YouTube introduced in October and adapts it for under-18 accounts. Kids and teens can’t change […]

YouTube now has a way for parents to block kids from watching Shorts

Parents will be able to toggle the Shorts time limit on connected children’s accounts.