Utah Bill Would Restrict Social Media For Utah Teens
Children and teens in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don’t have parental consent and face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive platforms. Two laws signed by Republican Gov. Spencer Cox Thursday prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and open the door to lawsuits on behalf of children claiming social media harmed them. Collectively, they seek to prevent children from being lured to apps by addictive features and from having ads promoted to them.
Joining us today on AirTalk is Sarah Kreps, professor of law at Cornell University and Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University.
With files from the Associated Press
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew Testifies Before House Committee, Fails To Calm Congressional Concerns
U.S. lawmakers spent nearly six hours questioning the CEO of TikTok, Shou Zi Chew, over content and data security concerns Thursday. TikTok and its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, have been swept up in a wider geopolitical battle between Beijing and Washington over trade and technology. Bipartisan lawmakers pressed Chew on topics ranging from TikTok’s content moderation practices, to its spying on U.S. journalists. The Biden administration has reportedly demanded TikTok’s Chinese owners sell their stakes in the company to avoid a nationwide ban. To avoid a ban, TikTok has been trying to sell officials on a $1.5 billion plan, Project Texas, which routes all U.S. data to servers maintained by the software giant Oracle. Congress, the White House, U.S. armed forces and over half of U.S. states have already banned the app from official devices. Similar bans have been imposed in other nations including Canada, Great Britain and the European Union.
Today on AirTalk, we’re joined by Anna Edgerton, a reporter covering tech policy and nationa securtiy for Bloomberg News and Sarah Kreps, Director of Cornell University’s Tech Policy Institute to discuss the House hearing and the implications it has for the future of the popular video app which has 150 million American users.
With files from the Associated Press
Heroes Off The Airwaves: Celebrating LAist’s Backbone Staff
While most of you probably know LAist from the reporters and hosts you hear on the air, our station requires the contributions of so many talented, unique individuals whose names aren’t said during show credits. These are the people who truly make LAist: they keep our broadcast equipment running, they put on our pledge drives and help secure sponsorships and donations, they put together the pre-recorded spots you hear between shows, they make sure our facilities at the Mohn Broadcast Center are operating smoothly, and keep our websites humming.
This week and next on AirTalk, we’re highlighting some of these amazing people who work at LAist, and whose tireless efforts are critical to what you hear and read every day. Today, we’re joined by Lucie Russo, development events manager for LAist, and Peter Hernandez, newsletter automation and growth manager at LAist.
FilmWeek: ‘A Good Person,’ ‘John Wick: Chapter 4,’ ‘Jacir’ and More
Larry Mantle and LAist film critics Tim Cogshell and Christy Lemire review this weekend’s new movie releases in theaters, streaming, and on demand platforms.
- “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Wide Release
- “A Good Person,” In Select Theaters
- “Jacir,” AMC Theater[Burbank] & AMC Theater[Orange]
- “Tori And Lokita,” Landmark Nuart Theater[DTLA]
- “Rodeo,” Laemmle Royal[West LA]
- “The Lost King,” Wide Release
- “Gods Of Mexico,” Lumiere Cinema Music Hall[Beverly Hills]
- “The Tutor,” In Select Theaters
- “The Way Of Gaucho,” American Cinematheque[Los Feliz]