BUFFALO, N.Y. — A federal jury awarded $80 million Wednesday to the estate of a Buffalo man whose conviction in a 1976 murder was overturned after he spent nearly a quarter century in prison.
Darryl Boyd, one of the group of Black teenagers arrested for the murder of William Crawford sometimes called the Buffalo Five, filed the lawsuit in 2022 seeking damages and alleging Buffalo Police investigators and Erie County prosecutors had failed to disclose more than a dozen pieces of evidence that pointed to other suspects. The lawsuit also alleged investigators coerced witnesses to give false statements pointing to Boyd, and that prosecutors committed summation misconduct — making inappropriate or false comments in their closing arguments.
“If not for the misdeeds of Defendants, Mr. Boyd would not have been prosecuted, convicted, and imprisoned in violation of his constitutional rights, and would not have spent 45 years asserting his innocence and fighting for his liberty in connection with a crime that he did not commit,” Boyd’s attorneys wrote in the lawsuit.
A spokesman for Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the county extends its sympathy to Boyd’s family, but he believes the $80 million award is egregious and the county plans to appeal.
After a two-and-a-half week trial, the federal jury in the Western District of New York took about an hour to return the massive verdict — billed by attorneys as one of the largest monetary awards for a wrongful conviction case in the U.S.
After Boyd was released from prison, he spent another two decades on parole before his conviction was vacated by a judge in 2021. The county opted not to retry Boyd or John Walker Jr., whose conviction in the case was also vacated.
A third man convicted in the killing, Darren Gibson, was released from prison in 2008 and died a year later. One of the other teens was acquitted at trial, and the fifth teen testified against the others, which Boyd’s attorneys said newly released case files show was coerced.
Both Boyd and Walker had settled their case against the city of Buffalo for about $4.7 million each. Walker won a $28 million verdict against the county earlier this year, which the county has appealed.
“He lost his whole adult life to this wrongful conviction. The jury heard just how many years he was suffering in maximum security prison. All the terrible things you assume happen in prison, happened in prison,” said Ross Firsenbaum, an attorney with WilmerHale, one of three firms representing Boyd’s estate.
Firsenbaum said being released on parole was just as hard for Boyd who suffered from PTSD, anxiety and other ailments. He struggled to keep or get jobs because of the conviction and eventually began self-medicating and developed a substance abuse addiction.
Boyd was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer and died in 2023 before the trial could be held. His mother and son attended the trial every day, Firsenbaum said.
“The (county) argued his substance use was the cause of his problems, not the 27 or so years he spent wrongfully in prison,” Firsenbaum said. “And that’s offensive. And the jury recognized that and responded with this verdict.”
He added that the attorneys had proven there was a pattern and practice of misconduct at the time of the convictions, not just a misdeed by one employee.
Roblox is stepping up its age verification system for users who want to privately message other players and implementing age-based chats so kids, teens and adults will only be able to message people around their own age.
The moves come as the popular gaming platform continues to face criticism and lawsuits over child safety and a growing number of states and countries are implementing age verification laws.
The company had previously announced the age estimation tool, which is provided by a company called Persona, in July. It requires players to take a video selfie that will be used to estimate their age. Roblox says the videos are deleted after the age check is processed. Users are not required to submit a face scan to use the platform, only if they want to chat with other users.
Roblox doesn’t allow kids under 13 to chat with other users outside of games unless they have explicit parental permission — and unlike different platforms, it does not encrypt private chat conversations, so it can monitor and moderate them.
While some experts have expressed caution about the reliability of facial age estimation tools, Matt Kaufman, chief safety officer at Roblox, said that between the ages of about five to 25, the system can accurately estimate a person’s age within one or two years.
“But of course, there’s always people who may be well outside of a traditional bell curve. And in those cases, if you disagree with the estimate that comes back, then you can provide an ID or use parental consent in order to correct that,” he said.
After users go through the age checks, they will be assigned to age groups ranging from under nine, nine to 12, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, 18 to 20 and over 21. Users will then be able to chat with their age group or similar age groups, depending on their age and the type of chat.
Roblox said it will start enforcing age checks in Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands in the first week of December and the rest of the world in early January.
A growing number of tech companies are implementing verification systems to comply with regulations or ward off criticism that they are not protecting children. This includes Google, which recently started testing a new age-verification system for YouTube that relies on AI to differentiate between adults and minors based on their watch histories. Instagram is testing an AI system to determine if kids are lying about their ages.
PARIS (AP) — When 15-year-old Pedro Elias Garzon Delvaux realized an Associated Press photo of him at the Louvre on the day of the crown jewels heist had drawn millions of views, his first instinct was not to rush online and unmask himself.
Quite the opposite. A fan of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot who lives with his parents and grandfather in Rambouillet, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Paris, Pedro decided to play along with the world’s suspense.
As theories swirled about the sharply dressed stranger in the “Fedora Man” shot — detective, insider, AI fake — he decided to stay silent and watch.
“I didn’t want to say immediately it was me,” he said. “With this photo there is a mystery, so you have to make it last.”
For his only in-person interview since that snap turned him into an international curiosity, he appeared for the AP cameras at his home much as he did that Sunday: in a fedora hat, Yves Saint Laurent waistcoat borrowed from his father, jacket chosen by his mother, neat tie, Tommy Hilfiger trousers and a restored, war-battered Russian watch.
The fedora, angled just so, is his homage to French Resistance hero Jean Moulin.
In person, he is a bright, amused teenager who wandered, by accident, into a global story.
The image that made him famous was meant to document a crime scene. Three police officers lean on a silver car blocking a Louvre entrance, hours after thieves carried out a daylight raid on French crown jewels. To the right, a lone figure in a three-piece suit strides past — a flash of film noir in a modern-day manhunt.
The internet did the rest. “Fedora Man,” as users dubbed him, was cast as an old-school detective, an inside man, a Netflix pitch — or not human at all. Many were convinced he was AI-generated.
Pedro understood why. “In the photo, I’m dressed more in the 1940s, and we are in 2025,” he said. “There is a contrast.”
Even some relatives and friends hesitated until they spotted his mother in the background. Only then were they sure: The internet’s favorite fake detective was a real boy.
The real story was simple. Pedro, his mother and grandfather had come to visit the Louvre.
“We wanted to go to the Louvre, but it was closed,” he said. “We didn’t know there was a heist.”
They asked officers why the gates were shut. Seconds later, AP photographer Thibault Camus, documenting the security cordon, caught Pedro midstride.
“When the picture was taken, I didn’t know,” Pedro said. “I was just passing through.”
Four days later, an acquaintance messaged: Is that you?
“She told me there were 5 million views,” he said. “I was a bit surprised.” Then his mother called to say he was in The New York Times. “It’s not every day,” he said. Cousins in Colombia, friends in Austria, family friends and classmates followed with screenshots and calls.
“People said, ‘You’ve become a star,’” he said. “I was astonished that just with one photo you can become viral in a few days.”
The look that jolted tens of millions is not a costume whipped up for a museum trip. Pedro began dressing this way less than a year ago, inspired by 20th-century history and black-and-white images of suited statesmen and fictional detectives.
“I like to be chic,” he said. “I go to school like this.”
In a sea of hoodies and sneakers, he shows up in a three-piece suit. And the hat? No, that’s its own ritual. The fedora is reserved for weekends, holidays and museum visits.
At his no-uniform school, his style has already started to spread. “One of my friends came this week with a tie,” he said.
He understands why people projected a whole sleuth character onto him: improbable heist, improbable detective. He loves Poirot — “very elegant” — and likes the idea that an unusual crime calls for someone who looks unusual. “When something unusual happens, you don’t imagine a normal detective,” he said. “You imagine someone different.”
That instinct fits the world he comes from. His mother, Félicité Garzon Delvaux, grew up in an 18th-century museum-palace, daughter of a curator and an artist — and regularly takes her son to exhibits.
“Art and museums are living spaces,” she said. “Life without art is not life.”
For Pedro, art and imagery were part of everyday life. So when millions projected stories onto a single frame of him in a fedora beside armed police at the Louvre, he recognized the power of an image and let the myth breathe before stepping forward.
He stayed silent for several days, then switched his Instagram from private to public.
“People had to try to find who I am,” he said. “Then journalists came, and I told them my age. They were extremely surprised.”
He is relaxed about whatever comes next. “I’m waiting for people to contact me for films,” he said, grinning. “That would be very funny.”
In a story of theft and security lapses, “Fedora Man” is a gentler counterpoint — a teenager who believes art, style and a good mystery belong to ordinary life. One photo turned him into a symbol. Meeting him confirms he is, reassuringly, real.
“I’m a star,” he says — less brag than experiment, as if he’s trying on the words the way he tries on a hat. “I’ll keep dressing like this. It’s my style.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Denmark’s government on Friday announced an agreement to ban access to social media for anyone under 15, ratcheting up pressure on Big Tech platforms as concerns grow that kids are getting too swept up in a digitized world of harmful content and commercial interests.
The move would give some parents — after a specific assessment — the right to let their children access social media from age 13. It wasn’t immediately clear how such a ban would be enforced: Many tech platforms already restrict pre-teens from signing up. Officials and experts say such restrictions don’t always work.
Such a measure would be among the most sweeping steps yet by a European Union government to limit use of social media among teens and younger children, which has drawn concerns in many parts of an increasingly online world.
Speaking to The Associated Press, Caroline Stage, Denmark’s minister for digital affairs, said 94% of Danish children under age 13 have profiles on at least one social media platform, and more than half of those under 10 do.
“The amount of time they spend online — the amount of violence, self-harm that they are exposed to online — is simply too great a risk for our children,” she said, while praising tech giants as “the greatest companies that we have. They have an absurd amount of money available, but they’re simply not willing to invest in the safety of our children, invest in the safety of all of us.”
No rush to legislation, no loopholes for tech giants
Stage said a ban won’t take effect immediately. Allied lawmakers on the issue from across the political spectrum who make up a majority in parliament will likely take months to pass relevant legislation.
“I can assure you that Denmark will hurry, but we won’t do it too quickly because we need to make sure that the regulation is right and that there is no loopholes for the tech giants to go through,” Stage said. Her ministry said pressure from tech giants’ business models was “too massive.”
That made platforms including TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, Reddit, X and Instagram subject to fines of up to 50 million Australian dollars ($33 million) for systemic failures to prevent children younger than 16 from holding accounts.
Officials in Denmark didn’t say how such a ban would be enforced in a world where millions of children have easy access to screens. But Stage noted that Denmark has a national electronic ID system — nearly all Danish citizens over age 13 have such an ID — and plans to set up an age-verification app. Several other EU countries are testing such apps.
“We cannot force the tech giants to use our app, but what we can do is force the tech giants to make proper age verification, and if they don’t, we will be able to enforce through the EU commission and make sure that they will be fined up to 6% of their global income.”
Aiming to shield kids from harmful content online
Many governments have been grappling with ways of limiting harmful fallout from online technologies, without overly squelching their promise. Stage said Denmark’s legislative push was “not about excluding children from everything digital” — but keeping them away from harmful content.
China — which manufacturers many of the world’s digital devices — has set limits on online game time and smart-phone time for kids.
“Children and young people have their sleep disrupted, lose their peace and concentration, and experience increasing pressure from digital relationships where adults are not always present,” the Danish ministry said. “This is a development that no parent, teacher or educator can stop alone.”
The EU’s Digital Services Act, which took effect two years ago, forbids children younger than 13 to hold accounts on social media like TikTok and Instagram, video sharing platforms like YouTube and Twitch, and sites like Reddit and Discord, as well as AI companions.
Many social media platforms have for years banned anyone 13 or under from signing up for their services. TikTok users can verify their ages by submitting a selfie that will be analyzed to estimate their age. Meta Platforms, parent of Instagram and Facebook, says it uses a similar system for video selfies and AI to help figure out a user’s age.
TikTok said in an email that it recognizes the importance of Denmark’s initiative.
“At TikTok, we have steadfastly created a robust trust and safety track record, with more than 50 preset safety features for teen accounts, as well as age appropriate experiences and tools for guardians such as Family Pairing,” a tool allowing parents, guardians, and teens to customize safety settings.
We look forward to working constructively on solutions that apply consistently across the industry,” it added.
Meta didn’t respond immediately to requests for comment from the AP.
“We’ve given the tech giants so many chances to stand up and to do something about what is happening on their platforms. They haven’t done it,” said Stage, the Danish minister. “So now we will take over the steering wheel and make sure that our children’s futures are safe.”
___
AP Business Writer Kelvin Chan contributed to this report.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida coach Todd Golden had people yelling at him at halftime Thursday night to get 7-foot-9 center Olivier Rioux in the game.
Golden relented with 2:09 to play — and made history in the process — after chants of “We Want Ollie” swept through the O’Connell Center.
Rioux became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he made his debut in a 104-64 victory over North Florida. Rioux, a 19-year-old redshirt freshman from Canada and the world’s tallest teenager, drew so much attention from the Ospreys that he didn’t even touch the ball.
“It felt great,” Rioux said. “The support from everybody was amazing, even on the bench and even the fans. I think everybody supported me. I’m very grateful.”
When asked about making history, Rioux quipped: “It’s another day, I guess.”
Rioux made everyone in attendance smile. Even North Florida forward Trey Cady smirked when he measured himself against Rioux. Cady was giving up more than a foot in the matchup.
“There’s people yelling at me at halftime about playing him,” Golden said. “I’m like, ‘Listen, it will happen. The time will come.’”
“He’s put in a lot of great work,” Golden said. “To his credit, he’s kept a great attitude without getting a lot of reward in terms of playing time and opportunity.”
Golden had made it clear that Rioux would only play late in blowouts, the result of having all four frontcourt players returning. But Olivier doubled down on wanting to be at Florida and welcomed the challenge of playing against Alex Condon, Thomas Haugh, Rueben Chinyelu, and Micah Handlogten in practice and behind them in games.
“I talked to the guys at halftime when we’re up 24 and I expressed to them the importance of getting off to a really good start so we can get some of the younger guys and some of the guys from down on the bench an opportunity to play and to get some rip,” Golden said. “Obviously the game was in our control and thought it would be a good opportunity to get him out there and get his first college experience, and I think he was pretty excited.
“It was pretty neat for him to finally see the floor.”
Fans delivered the loudest ovation of the game — second only to Florida unveiling its championship banner during pregame introductions — when Golden motioned to Rioux at the end of the bench. Rioux pulled off his long-sleeved T-shirt and hustled to the scorer’s table to check in.
Teammates and coaches celebrated wildly, and fans screamed every time the ball got near Rioux. He’ll have to wait until his next outing to actually touch it.
“So much fun,” Handlogten said. “When he was checking into the game, I kind of stopped him and I was like, ’Play with confidence. You’ve worked your butt off for two years now to get to this spot. Now’s your moment. This is your time to shine.
“To see him out there running up and down the court with a little smile on his face, it was really good to see.”
COPENHAGEN, Denmark — In 2021, Danish video game live-streamer Marie Watson received an image of herself from an unknown Instagram account.
She instantly recognized the holiday snap from her Instagram account, but something was different: Her clothing had been digitally removed to make her appear naked. It was a deepfake.
“It overwhelmed me so much,” Watson recalled. “I just started bursting out in tears, because suddenly, I was there naked.”
In the four years since her experience, deepfakes — highly realistic artificial intelligence-generated images, videos or audio of real people or events — have become not only easier to make worldwide but also look or sound exponentially more realistic. That’s thanks to technological advances and the proliferation of generative AI tools, including video generation tools from OpenAI and Google.
These tools give millions of users the ability to easily spit out content, including for nefarious purposes that range from depicting celebrities Taylor Swift and Katy Perry to disrupting elections and humiliating teens and women.
In response, Denmark is seeking to protect ordinary Danes, as well as performers and artists who might have their appearance or voice imitated and shared without their permission. A bill that’s expected to pass early next year would change copyright law by imposing a ban on the sharing of deepfakes to protect citizens’ personal characteristics — such as their appearance or voice — from being imitated and shared online without their consent.
If enacted, Danish citizens would get the copyright over their own likeness. In theory, they then would be able to demand that online platforms take down content shared without their permission. The law would still allow for parodies and satire, though it’s unclear how that will be determined.
Experts and officials say the Danish legislation would be among the most extensive steps yet taken by a government to combat misinformation through deepfakes.
Henry Ajder, founder of consulting firm Latent Space Advisory and a leading expert in generative AI, said that he applauds the Danish government for recognizing that the law needs to change.
“Because right now, when people say ‘what can I do to protect myself from being deepfaked?’ the answer I have to give most of the time is: ‘There isn’t a huge amount you can do,’” he said, ”without me basically saying, ‘scrub yourself from the internet entirely.’ Which isn’t really possible.”
He added: “We can’t just pretend that this is business as usual for how we think about those key parts of our identity and our dignity.”
U.S. President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation in May that makes it illegal to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, including deepfakes. Last year, South Korea rolled out measures to curb deepfake porn, including harsher punishment and stepped up regulations for social media platforms.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said that the bill has broad support from lawmakers in Copenhagen, because such digital manipulations can stir doubts about reality and spread misinformation.
“If you’re able to deepfake a politician without her or him being able to have that product taken down, that will undermine our democracy,” he told reporters during an AI and copyright conference in September.
The law would apply only in Denmark, and is unlikely to involve fines or imprisonment for social media users. But big tech platforms that fail to remove deepfakes could face severe fines, Engel-Schmidt said.
Ajder said Google-owned YouTube, for example, has a “very, very good system for getting the balance between copyright protection and freedom of creativity.”
The platform’s efforts suggest that it recognizes “the scale of the challenge that is already here and how much deeper it’s going to become,” he added.
Twitch, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Engel-Schmidt said that Denmark, the current holder of the European Union’s rotating presidency, had received interest in its proposed legislation from several other EU members, including France and Ireland.
Intellectual property lawyer Jakob Plesner Mathiasen said that the legislation shows the widespread need to combat the online danger that’s now infused into every aspect of Danish life.
“I think it definitely goes to say that the ministry wouldn’t make this bill, if there hadn’t been any occasion for it,” he said. “We’re seeing it with fake news, with government elections. We are seeing it with pornography, and we’re also seeing it also with famous people and also everyday people — like you and me.”
The Danish Rights Alliance, which protects the rights of creative industries on the internet, supports the bill, because its director says that current copyright law doesn’t go far enough.
Danish voice actor David Bateson, for example, was at a loss when AI voice clones were shared by thousands of users online. Bateson voiced a character in the popular “Hitman” video game, as well as Danish toymaker Lego’s English advertisements.
“When we reported this to the online platforms, they say ‘OK, but which regulation are you referring to?’” said Maria Fredenslund, an attorney and the alliance’s director. “We couldn’t point to an exact regulation in Denmark.”
Watson had heard about fellow influencers who found digitally-altered images of themselves online, but never thought it might happen to her.
Delving into a dark side of the web where faceless users sell and share deepfake imagery — often of women — she said she was shocked how easy it was to create such pictures using readily available online tools.
“You could literally just search ‘deepfake generator’ on Google or ‘how to make a deepfake,’ and all these websites and generators would pop up,” the 28-year-old Watson said.
She is glad her government is taking action, but she isn’t hopeful. She believes more pressure must be applied to social media platforms.
“It shouldn’t be a thing that you can upload these types of pictures,” she said. “When it’s online, you’re done. You can’t do anything, it’s out of your control.”
___
Stefanie Dazio in Berlin, Kelvin Chan in London, and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco, contributed to this report.
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — In 2021, Danish video game live-streamer Marie Watson received an image of herself from an unknown Instagram account.
She instantly recognized the holiday snap from her Instagram account, but something was different: Her clothing had been digitally removed to make her appear naked. It was a deepfake.
“It overwhelmed me so much,” Watson recalled. “I just started bursting out in tears, because suddenly, I was there naked.”
In the four years since her experience, deepfakes — highly realistic artificial intelligence-generated images, videos or audio of real people or events — have become not only easier to make worldwide but also look or sound exponentially more realistic. That’s thanks to technological advances and the proliferation of generative AI tools, including video generation tools from OpenAI and Google.
These tools give millions of users the ability to easily spit out content, including for nefarious purposes that range from depicting celebrities Taylor Swift and Katy Perry to disrupting elections and humiliating teens and women.
In response, Denmark is seeking to protect ordinary Danes, as well as performers and artists who might have their appearance or voice imitated and shared without their permission. A bill that’s expected to pass early next year would change copyright law by imposing a ban on the sharing of deepfakes to protect citizens’ personal characteristics — such as their appearance or voice — from being imitated and shared online without their consent.
If enacted, Danish citizens would get the copyright over their own likeness. In theory, they then would be able to demand that online platforms take down content shared without their permission. The law would still allow for parodies and satire, though it’s unclear how that will be determined.
Experts and officials say the Danish legislation would be among the most extensive steps yet taken by a government to combat misinformation through deepfakes.
Henry Ajder, founder of consulting firm Latent Space Advisory and a leading expert in generative AI, said that he applauds the Danish government for recognizing that the law needs to change.
“Because right now, when people say ‘what can I do to protect myself from being deepfaked?’ the answer I have to give most of the time is: ‘There isn’t a huge amount you can do,’” he said, ”without me basically saying, ‘scrub yourself from the internet entirely.’ Which isn’t really possible.”
He added: “We can’t just pretend that this is business as usual for how we think about those key parts of our identity and our dignity.”
Deepfakes and misinformation
U.S. President Donald Trump signed bipartisan legislation in May that makes it illegal to knowingly publish or threaten to publish intimate images without a person’s consent, including deepfakes. Last year, South Korea rolled out measures to curb deepfake porn, including harsher punishment and stepped up regulations for social media platforms.
Danish Culture Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt said that the bill has broad support from lawmakers in Copenhagen, because such digital manipulations can stir doubts about reality and spread misinformation.
“If you’re able to deepfake a politician without her or him being able to have that product taken down, that will undermine our democracy,” he told reporters during an AI and copyright conference in September.
The law would apply only in Denmark, and is unlikely to involve fines or imprisonment for social media users. But big tech platforms that fail to remove deepfakes could face severe fines, Engel-Schmidt said.
Ajder said Google-owned YouTube, for example, has a “very, very good system for getting the balance between copyright protection and freedom of creativity.”
The platform’s efforts suggest that it recognizes “the scale of the challenge that is already here and how much deeper it’s going to become,” he added.
Twitch, TikTok and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Engel-Schmidt said that Denmark, the current holder of the European Union’s rotating presidency, had received interest in its proposed legislation from several other EU members, including France and Ireland.
Intellectual property lawyer Jakob Plesner Mathiasen said that the legislation shows the widespread need to combat the online danger that’s now infused into every aspect of Danish life.
“I think it definitely goes to say that the ministry wouldn’t make this bill, if there hadn’t been any occasion for it,” he said. “We’re seeing it with fake news, with government elections. We are seeing it with pornography, and we’re also seeing it also with famous people and also everyday people — like you and me.”
The Danish Rights Alliance, which protects the rights of creative industries on the internet, supports the bill, because its director says that current copyright law doesn’t go far enough.
Danish voice actor David Bateson, for example, was at a loss when AI voice clones were shared by thousands of users online. Bateson voiced a character in the popular “Hitman” video game, as well as Danish toymaker Lego’s English advertisements.
“When we reported this to the online platforms, they say ‘OK, but which regulation are you referring to?’” said Maria Fredenslund, an attorney and the alliance’s director. “We couldn’t point to an exact regulation in Denmark.”
‘When it’s online, you’re done’
Watson had heard about fellow influencers who found digitally-altered images of themselves online, but never thought it might happen to her.
Delving into a dark side of the web where faceless users sell and share deepfake imagery — often of women — she said she was shocked how easy it was to create such pictures using readily available online tools.
“You could literally just search ‘deepfake generator’ on Google or ‘how to make a deepfake,’ and all these websites and generators would pop up,” the 28-year-old Watson said.
She is glad her government is taking action, but she isn’t hopeful. She believes more pressure must be applied to social media platforms.
“It shouldn’t be a thing that you can upload these types of pictures,” she said. “When it’s online, you’re done. You can’t do anything, it’s out of your control.”
Stefanie Dazio in Berlin, Kelvin Chan in London, and Barbara Ortutay in San Francisco, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The Motion Picture Association is asking Meta to stop referring to content shown to teen accounts on Instagram as “guided by PG-13 ratings,” saying it is misleading and could erode trust in its movie ratings system.
A lawyer on behalf of the MPA sent Meta Platforms a cease-and-desist letter asking the tech giant to “immediately and permanently disassociate its Teen Accounts and AI tools from the MPA’s rating system.”
Instagram had announced last month that its teen accounts will be will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default. The Motion Picture Association, which runs the film rating system that was established nearly 60 years ago, said at the time that it was not contacted by Meta prior to its announcement.
The MPA says Meta’s claims claims that its Teen Accounts will be “guided by” PG-13 ratings and that its Teen Account content settings are “generally aligned with movie ratings for ages 13+” are “false and highly misleading.” The association’s movie ratings, which range from G to NC-17, are done by parents who watch entire movies and evaluate them to come up with a rating.
“Meta’s attempts to restrict teen content literally cannot be ‘guided by’ or ‘aligned with’ the MPA’s PG-13 movie rating because Meta does not follow this curated process,” the association’s letter says. “Instead, Meta’s content restrictions appear to rely heavily on artificial intelligence or other automated technology measures.”
In a statement, Meta said it updated its teen content policies to be “closer to PG-13 movie standards— which parents already know” so parents can better understand what their teens see on Instagram.
“We know social media isn’t the same as movies, but we made this change to support parents, and we hope to work with the MPA to continue bringing families this clarity,” the company said. Meta added that its intent was never to suggest that it partnered with the MPA or that the material on Instagram had been rated by the movie association.
Chula Vista police at a crime scene. (File photo courtesy of OnSceneTV)
Two teens died Friday in a shooting at a Chula Vista Halloween party and police are seeking video footage of a fight to help identify those responsible.
At approximately 11:17 p.m., patrols responded to a report of a shooting on E. Prospect Street, according to a news release from the Chula Vista Police Department. The officers discovered two victims, ages 15 and 17, suffering from gunshot wounds.
The officers attempted to resuscitate the teens until medics arrived to transport both to UCSD Medical Center. Doctors there pronounced them dead.
The victims’ names are being withheld until family members can be notified, police said.
Investigators have determined that an argument at the Halloween party led up to the shooting and believe “there is a likelihood” witnesses would have used cell phones to record the fight.
Chula Vista police are trying to locate witnesses to identify the suspect or suspects. They ask that anyone with information, video of the incident or working exterior cameras around the 00 block of E. Prospect Street to contact investigators at (619) 691-5075.
Tipsters also may contact the Crime Stoppers anonymous tip line at (888) 580-8477.
Crime Stoppers is offering up to a $1,000 reward to anyone with information that leads to an arrest in the fatal shooting.
As a participant in multiple affiliate marketing programs, Localish will earn a commission for certain purchases. See full disclaimer below*
Advent calendars have grown up! Now, you can find a unique countdown experience for every member of the family, including your pet. Shop our list of top picks and make this holiday season memorable for all.
Best Advent Calendars for Kids
Barbie Fab Advent Calendar
Barbie Fab Advent Calendar
Help Barbie get ready for the holidays! This Advent calendar includes Barbie plus 23 stylish surprises so that kids can play dress-up with their doll and create lots of different looks! The fun starts with the unboxing experience and continues with each glamorous fashion.
Disney Once Upon a Story Advent Calendar
Disney Once Upon a Story 24-Day Countdown Calendar
The Disney Once Upon a Story collection celebrates the power of imagination and storytelling with beloved fairytale friends. Hours of magical adventures await with the stories your child creates! A wonderful world of Disney fairytale favorites is presented as 24 miniature figures in this castle-shaped Christmas countdown calendar set. Open a compartment in the surprise package every day from December 1-24 to reveal a play figure or prop that can be added to your collection.
Lego City Advent Calendar
Lego City Advent Calendar
The LEGO City Advent Calendar is bursting with festive fun! It includes characters dressed as polar bears, reindeer, and holiday trees, plus accessories and toy mini builds. Fold out the playmat to reveal a Christmas party scene, the perfect backdrop for seasonal stories and imaginative adventures. Every mini surprise comes with simple, easy-to-follow building instructions printed on the inside of each calendar window, making it ideal for new builders and little LEGO fans.
Military Army Man Advent Calendar
Military Army Man Advent Calendar
Be all you can be with the Military Army Men Advent Calendar. This set includes 12 army men, 1 dog, 3 vehicles, weapons, and assorted gear. Little soldiers will love assembling their troops as they count down to Christmas.
Play-Doh Advent Calendar
This calendar has tear-off playmats with snowman and gingerbread scenes. Use the surprises from days 1-12 to complete the snowman scene, and 13-24 to complete the gingerbread scene. Some of the surprises include creation cards that offer kids creative ideas for using their Christmas countdown calendar for fun arts-and-crafts activities. By the time every door has been opened, kids will have a fun collection of festive Play-Doh tools and colors to keep playing and creating all season long.
Mattel Jurassic World Rebirth Advent Calendar
Mattel Jurassic World Rebirth Advent Calendar
Celebrate Jurassic World Rebirth! Bring home the adventure and thrills of the movie with this Advent calendar. It features 24 day-by-day dinosaur-related surprises. Will it be a mini dinosaur or a fence piece? Find 24 pieces in total, including 18 mini dinosaurs from Jurassic World Rebirth. The largest dinosaur comes in 3 pieces that snap together. Collect all the pieces to put together a mini enclosure playset or display.
Best Advent Calendars for Teens
K-Pop Demon Hunters Advent Calendar
K-Pop Demon Hunters Advent Calendar
Your teen will love this 24-day countdown to Christmas. The calendar features collectible keychain toys inspired by the Netflix animated movie. Behind each door, anime fans will find a surprise figure from the K-pop demon-hunting world, including characters like Rumi, Zoey, and the Saja Boys villains.
Stranger Things Advent Calendar
Stranger Things Advent Calendar
This countdown calendar is ideal for Stranger Things fans. The calendar features themed stationery and collectibles, a must-have for teens who enjoy unique Christmas decorations and gifts. Each surprise combines creativity and function, from slap bracelets to sticky notes.
National Geographic Gemstone Advent Calendar
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Gemstone Advent Calendar
Each day of December, as Christmas approaches, kids can open a gorgeous new gemstone to add to their collection! The set includes a collector’s pouch to keep all of the gems safe. The beautiful, polished gemstones include agate, green aventurine, hematite, sodalite, turquoise, tiger’s eye, blue calcite, and more! The final piece in this collection is a stunning rose quartz that kids unearth from a mini dig brick, just like a real geologist!
Harry Potter Advent Calendar
Harry Potter Advent Calendar
The Harry Potter-themed calendar is ideal for girls, preteens, and teens who love magic and surprises. Each day reveals a new item, from cute charms to practical accessories. The set has 27 unique themed surprises, including wands, bookmarks, socks, keychains, stationery, jewelry, festive clips, and more.
Spa Christmas Advent Calendar
Spa Christmas Advent Calendar
Nourish your mind, body, and soul with a gift each day from this calendar set with everything from scented candles to shower gels, hand lotion, and more. Each Lovery item is made with clean ingredients, such as Vitamin E and Shea Butter, with no parabens or harsh chemicals. Every girl and boy will love this decorated Advent calendar filled with luxury body care.
12-Pc. Kiss The Season Mini Lip Care Advent Calendar Set
NCLA Beauty Kiss The Season Mini Lip Care Advent Calendar Set
Get ready to pout, gloss and sleigh with this Kiss The Season Mini Lip Care Advent Calendar. The set is packed with 12 mini surprises (6 lip balms and 6 lip scrubs) for 12 days of festive flavors, hydration and glossy perfection to keep your lips mistletoe ready.
Try Not to Laugh Advent Calendar
Try Not to Laugh Advent Calendar
Beyond just an Advent Calendar, this calendar is a full-fledged Game! Each day, your family will unlock a new, themed joke battle with topics designed to delight everyone. But that’s not all. This is a real competition, packed with interactive elements to get everyone playing together, including: The Ultimate Showdown where kids and adults go head-to-head to see who can keep a straight face; Creative Challenges where you’ll choose official team names like “The Giggling Goblins vs. the Poker-Faced Parents”; and an Official Challenger’s Oath that everyone must recite to kick off the games with maximum silliness.
Best Advent Calendars for Adults
Holiday Wooden Village LED Advent Calendar
Holiday Wooden Village LED Advent Calendar
Count down the days with this charming wooden Advent calendar. Perfect for the mantel, shelf, or windowsill, this decorative village features beautifully lit windows, doorways, and countdown numbers. A festive wreath glides along a metal track, counting down the number of days until Christmas.
Walkers Shortbread Advent Calendar
Spread joy and cheer by treating family and loved ones to daily delights in a stunningly designed Christmas cookie box. This calendar makes a wonderful gift or is perfect for counting down with your own family. The holiday cookies combine the best of traditional Scotland with a delightful assortment of 6 cookie varieties, from iconic shortbread fingers to rounds, stars, hearts, chocolate chip, and salted caramel squares.
Bonne Maman Limited Run Edition Advent Calendar
Bonne Maman 2025 Limited Run Edition Advent Calendar
Beautifully illustrated and made to spread joy, the Bonne Maman Advent Calendar is a meaningful gift for loved ones, food lovers, or simply as a special treat for yourself. Each day reveals a charming mini jar nestled in its own beautifully designed box. Both the boxes and jars can be reused for small keepsakes, holiday place settings, or other creative moments that extend the magic beyond December.
Pukka Advent Calendar Organic Tea Sampler
Pukka Advent Calendar Organic Tea Sampler
Give your family or friends a delicious daily surprise this holiday season with the herbal Pukka Tea Gift Calendar, and unlock the magical secrets of herbal goodness in every sip. Featuring 24 tea sachets, each thoughtfully crafted blend is designed to holistically nourish your body and mind. Indulge in a fusion of mouth-watering flavours, including the festive essence of cinnamon, the zesty notes of orange, and the delightful sweetness of elderberry in our unique blends.
Best of Harry & David Advent Calendar
Best of Harry & David Advent Calendar
Counting down the days ’til Christmas is already fun. Having special treats like holiday Moose Munch Premium Popcorn, Scharffen Berger chocolate squares, blackberry galettes, peppermint bark, and other sweets to share and snack on makes it even more exciting. Surprises await behind every door. The red Advent calendar box is decorated in wonderful Christmas imagery and is a fabulous gift for families and relatives.
Technic Man’Stuff Advent Toiletry Calendar
Technic Man’Stuff Advent Toiletry Calendar
The Technic Man’Stuff Advent Calendar is beautifully packaged. The calendar is filled with 24 days of men’s grooming products and accessories, such as various washes, lotions and shaving items, along with grooming tools such as nail clippers, tweezers, and a comb for the ultimate festive countdown. Specific contents may vary.
Prestige 31-Piece Advent Calendar
Prestige 31-Piece Advent Calendar
Immerse yourself in this delicious, limited-edition advent calendar featuring 31 assorted chocolates, including Chocoviar Stracciatella and Cremino Extra Dark, concealed in elegant drawers. This advent calendar is designed to reuse year after year with your own custom Venchi mix.
Best Advent Calendars for Pets
Bully Sticks Advent Calendar for Dogs
Bully Sticks Treat Advent Calendar for Dogs
Better than a gift basket, this calendar for dogs brings a healthy, daily delight your furry friend will adore. It’s 24 days of tail-wagging excitement as the healthy dog treats get tastier and tastier. Unwrap a daily surprise with an assortment of beef, gullet, and chicken treats and chews.
12 Days of Woofmas Advent Calendar
12 Days of Woofmas Advent Calendar
Get your pup in the howl-iday spirit with the Milk-Bone countdown calendar with treats for dogs. Open each date to find a special dog treat and celebrate the 12 Days of Woofmas with your furry friend. This countdown calendar features crunchy holiday biscuits that come in festive shapes and colors. It also contains Marosnacks, dog treats made with real bone marrow.
Disney Table Scraps Advent Calendar
Disney Table Scraps Advent Calendar
Soft, jerky-style treats will get your pup pumped for the holiday season. The high-quality treats have no wheat, corn, soy, artificial flavors, or colors. The calendar features 4 holiday-themed recipes and includes beloved Disney dogs for a touch of magic.
Cat Toy Advent Calendar
Let your cat go wild for the Larchio pet advent calendar filled with different cat toys during the holiday season. The toys will lead to hours of interactive play to engage their senses and enhance their natural instincts. The 24 Day Cat Advent Calendar for your kitten will include a bell feather wand, a jingle bell ball, a colorful mouse, a crinkle ball, a feather wand, a plush fish, and cat bowties.
Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Dogs
Trader Joe’s Advent Calendar for Dogs
You’ll be barking up the right tree with this Advent calendar. Your dog will enjoy 24 days of single-ingredient, freeze-dried chicken breast treats. The treats are made from 100% chicken breast and are packaged in a festive box with 24 numbered doors. Give your dog the treat behind the door for a daily surprise
* By clicking on the featured links, visitors will leave Localish.com and be directed to third-party e-commerce sites that operate under different terms and privacy policies. Although we are sharing our personal opinions of these products with you, Localish is not endorsing these products. It has not performed product safety testing on any of these products, did not manufacture them, and is not selling, or distributing them and is not making any representations about the safety or caliber of these products. Prices and availability are subject to change from the date of publication.
Often parents struggle with communication once their child becomes a teenager. They feel dismissed by them because they prefer their peers or turn towards devices rather than meaningful conversations. The calendar fills up fast during these years, which make deeper conversations even more scarce. Building in a family ritual of connection is incredibly important while raising teens. It may have been easier to have regular family dinners when the children are younger, but often with the increased demands of school, sports and social obligations nightly family dinners fall by the wayside once the kids hit the teenage years. Maintaining family rituals like a weekly family meal can be a way comes together, and it can be protected without having to make too many exceptions.
Collaborating with your teen on when this occurs is a great opportunity to learn about how they approach their scheduling and what they are managing. It gives you a window into their world. It also is a sign of respect for their growing responsibilities. Looking for opportunities to collaborate instead of dictating. This positions you as their parent and ally instead of an obstacle to be overcome or avoided.
How Should I Talk to My Teen?
These are the years for parents to actively approach conversations with curiosity. A subject teens love talking about is themselves. Which is developmentally appropriate. They are figuring out how to navigate who they are and want to become in the world. That takes a lot of thought! So when your teenager approaches a conversation with a declaration or statement, ask questions rather than explain why you disagree or point out potential issues. Great questions to start with are:
How did you come up with this idea?
Have you seen others with this approach?
What do you like about how it’s been working for them?
What is your hope or dream in this for you?
Do you have any concerns or hesitations?
How does this fit or get reconciled with our family values/beliefs?
The teenage years are also when children’s development gears towards autonomy and differentiating from the family. This creates a big shift in how they interact with their parents. They are forming their own opinions, values, beliefs and experiences. It is helpful to view these as hypotheses about life and themselves that the teen is testing out. In conversation the teen may present this hypothesis more directly and rigidly. If this opinion, value, or belief is different than the parents this is where things can go astray. For parents it often feels like the teenager is rejecting the parents attempts to protect them from potential mistakes. As parents this can feel scary and prompt them to try to implement controls and heavy consequences which may shut down the relationship with your teen.
Take the 4-step approach
Here is the approach I recommend using when talking to your teens.
Step One
Start with exploring how this new experiment is serving them. What is it about this behavior or concept that they feel benefits them? This helps you identify what their motivation is. That’s really useful for you to know!
Step Two
Identify for yourself what your core needs are. I encourage you to be as specific as possible. This helps to define your container for exploration. I would also include what consequences you plan to implement if these core needs are not respected. This will help you reinforce them confidently and clearly in the moment. If you already planned to ground your teen for one night if they come home after curfew one night then you will be less likely to lecture them, give extreme consequences in the moment because you’re upset.
Pro tip: I always try to find ways to add positive reinforcement when they do something well rather than consequences when they don’t do it. For example if they come home at curfew for 4 nights in a row then extend the curfew by an extra 1 hour the next time they go out.
Step Three
Next identify your areas of flexibility. Be as creative as possible here. You teen will feel really cared for if your areas of flexibility are more than your core needs. You know how this difficult behavior or action is serving your teen so think creatively how you help them still explore and potentially “fail small”.
Step Four
Share this with your teen in a calm moment and from a supportive stance. Begin with letting them know you care about their goals. Align with them in finding ways for them to get these needs met while also establishing the container for exploration. Let them know what rewards they will receive while respecting the limits you’ve set and what consequences will happen if they bump into (or blow past) the container. Let them know you want feedback from them and that you’re flexible and open to discussing how together you can find safe ways to navigate the challenges they face. They may have other ideas that you haven’t thought to explore yet.
Be prepared to have push back. Not just to the container that you create, but also to your personhood. Previously children needed a lot from their parents. As they are getting older their needs are shifting which allows them to see their parents in a different light. By “different” I mean coming to terms with the fact that you are imperfect. Early childhood children often hold their parents on a pedestal. One of the things that hurts parents so much during the teenage years is that their children no longer idolize them, in fact they are quick to point out every flaw or mistake or moment of imperfection that their parents may have. Ouch!
Why Should I Talk to My Teen?
Teenagers seeing their parents as imperfect is actually a good thing because it’s creating more independence in teenagers. They are feeling more secure in their personhood and less dependent on you. Yay! The goal for parents during this stage of children’s development is to allow them to see you as a person rather than flawless. This is both humbling and freeing at the same time. The more language, awareness and dialogue parents can have about who they are in this relationship the more it helps to organize the teenagers’ understanding.
You want to be able to name your own emotional reactions and what you need in the relationship. As you are sharing these parts of yourself you want to foster curiosity about your teenager. In earlier childhood you were the expert on them (for example: doctors look to you to explain symptoms, your child looked to you to help teach them). In the teenage years they are starting to take more ownership of being their own expert. They will need this skill as they launch from home, so although it often comes through a rejection of you, it’s a step in the right direction. Collaborate with them in coming up with experiments that feel safe to both of you for them to explore who they are and how they get their needs met in the world. When you provide a safe container (setting boundaries) and allow them enough freedom to make mistakes (fail small) they will feel supported while their independence is encouraged. This positions you as a resource for them to turn to when needed, walking that beautiful -thin- line as a parent of a teenager.
Orlando police discuss how to stay safe this Halloween
The Orlando Police Department will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
AGENCIES ACROSS CENTRAL FLORIDA ARE GOING INTO OVERDRIVE TO HELP KEEP EVERYONE SAFE AND MAKE THE MOST OF HALLOWEEN. YOU SEE OUR COUNTDOWN TO DAYS 14 HOURS, 17 MINUTES AND 45 SECONDS. BUT WHO’S GETTING SPECIFIC? CORPORAL MICHELLE ROGERS AND SERGEANT RODNEY VANCE FROM THE ORLANDO POLICE DEPARTMENT ARE JOINING ME THIS MORNING. THANKS SO MUCH FOR COMING IN, GUYS. THANK YOU FOR HAVING US. WE’RE HAPPY TO BE HERE. LET’S TALK ABOUT WHAT PARENTS GUARDIANS NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT. WE IT’S A VERY EXCITING TIME OF YEAR. BUT ALSO WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATIONS MAYBE WE SHOULD BE HAVING WITH OUR KIDS AHEAD OF FRIDAY. IT’S IMPORTANT TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ALWAYS ABOUT SAFETY, AND SAFETY IS ALWAYS PARAMOUNT WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING FUN, AND SOMETIMES WE GET CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT, SO IT’S IMPORTANT TO BE REMINDING YOURSELF ABOUT THINGS OF SAFETY, LIKE WEARING REFLECTIVE CLOTHING, STAYING WELL LIT, THINGS THAT GLOW, MAKING SURE THAT PARENTS ARE CHECKING CANDY IF THINGS ARE UNWRAPPED, MAKE SURE YOU JUST TOSS IT. DON’T EVEN BOTHER FOLLOWING TRAFFIC RULES. THINGS OF THAT NATURE. LET’S TALK SPECIFICALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR YOUNGER KIDS, WHEN THEY GO OUT TRICK OR TREATING, MINE ARE SEVEN AND NINE AND THEY ASK, MOM, CAN WE GO OUT BY OURSELVES? I SAID, NO, SORRY, I’M GOING TO BE GOING WITH YOU. WHAT KIND OF CONVERSATION SHOULD WE BE HAVING WITH THAT AGE? SO WITH THAT AGE AND I HAVE LITTLE ONES TOO, SO I CAN RELATE. I USUALLY SIT DOWN WITH THEM AND TALK ABOUT A PLAN. INVOLVE THEM IN YOUR PLAN. PLAN YOUR ROUTE. ALSO TALK ABOUT WE’RE ONLY GOING TO VISIT HOMES THAT ARE WELL LIT, THAT HAVE DECORATIONS OF HALLOWEEN, AND THEY’RE PARTICIPATING IN THE FESTIVITIES. ANOTHER THING TO REMIND OUR LITTLE ONES TOO, IS THAT USE THE SIDEWALK. THEY KNOW. LOOK TO THE LEFT. LOOK TO THE RIGHT. BEFORE CROSSING. USE MOMMY’S HAND. THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT THAT THEY ALREADY KNOW. BUT LIKE I SAID BEFORE, SOMETIMES THEY GET EXCITED AND CAUGHT UP IN THE MOMENT MOMENT. SO STRENGTH IN NUMBERS RELY ON YOUR NEIGHBORS, YOUR FRIENDS, MORE EYES. TRICK OR TREAT. AS A GROUP. IT’S A GREAT THING AND A GREAT TOOL TO HAVE AS YOUR FRIENDS. MINE IS A WEREWOLF AND EVEN HIS MASK. I WAS LIKE, I MIGHT HAVE TO CUT THE HOLES AROUND THE EYES A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE I FELT LIKE HE COULDN’T EVEN SEE, YOU KNOW, WHERE HE WAS WALKING. SO HAVING TO BE CAREFUL. THAT’S A GREAT IDEA ABOUT OUR TEENS. I KNOW OUR TEENS PROBABLY WANT TO GO OUT AND BE BY THEMSELVES. SO WHAT SHOULD WE TELL OUR KIDS THAT ARE A LITTLE BIT OLDER, A LITTLE BIT OF THE SAME TIPS THAT GO ALONG WITH THE YOUNG ONES. MAKE SURE THEY STAY IN GROUPS. MAKE SURE THEIR COSTUMES THAT IF THEY’RE CARRYING ANYTHING THAT MAY LOOK LIKE A WEAPON, THAT THE WEAPONS CLEARLY LOOK LIKE THEY’RE FAKE. SO PEOPLE DON’T CONFUSE THEM WITH BEING REAL. MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALL HAVE PHONES THESE DAYS. SO MAKE SURE IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE WITH THEM THAT THEY HAVE THEIR LOCATION SERVICES ON THEIR PHONE ON. SO IF SOMETHING DOES HAPPEN, YOU KNOW WHERE THEY ARE. AND JUST MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE, AS A PARENT, HAVE A GENERAL IDEA OF WHO THEY’RE GOING OUT WITH. DON’T JUST LET THEM GO ON OUT WITH PEOPLE WHO YOU MAY NOT KNOW. THAT WAY, IF YOU CAN’T GET IN CONTACT WITH THEM, THERE’S SOMEBODY ELSE IN THE GROUP THAT YOU CAN GET IN CONTACT WITH. I WAS RAISED BY MILITARY FOLK. THEY SAID, FILE THE FLIGHT PLAN AND STICK TO IT. THAT’S RIGHT. MISCONCEPTIONS, THINGS THAT WE DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT PARENTS SHOULD KNOW, THINGS THAT WE DON’T THINK ABOUT SOMETIMES IS JUST TRICK OR TREATING AS A GROUP. SOMETIMES WE JUST GET SO CAUGHT UP IN THE RUSHING OF GETTING THE COSTUMES ON AND RUSHING AND TRYING TO GO BEFORE IT GETS DARK OUT. BUT ONE THING THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER IS BRING A FLASHLIGHT. A FLASHLIGHT CAN ALSO LIGHT YOUR PATH ONCE THE STREETLIGHTS COME ON, IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT’S TIME TO STOP HAVING FUN. IT JUST MEANS THAT WE’RE ALL RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR SAFETY. AND IF WE WORK TOGETHER, IT’S GOING TO BE AWESOME AND YOU GUYS CAN HAVE A SAFE HALLOWEEN. SPEAKING OF SAFE, YOU GUYS HAVE AN EVENT. WHAT ARE THE DETAILS FOR THAT? YES. SO ON THURSDAY AT OUR HEADQUARTERS BUILDING ON SOUTH STREET, WE’LL BE HAVING A TRUNK OR TREAT EVENT FROM 4 TO 7 P.M. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE OFFICERS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT ARE GOING TO BE SETTING UP THEIR CARS. WE’LL HAVE PLENTY OF CANDY AND EVENTS FOR KIDS AND FAMILIES TO COME OUT AND ENJOY IN THE SAFETY OF THE POLICE STATION. YOU KNOW IT’S SAFE AND YOU GET TO MEET SOME OF YOUR LOCAL HEROES, TOO. THAT IS A GREAT WAY TO DO THAT. WE DID HAVE THE INFORMATION UP ON THE SCREEN. WE’LL ALSO POST A LINK TO THIS ON OUR WEBSITE WESH.COM. SERGEANT VANCE
Orlando police discuss how to stay safe this Halloween
The Orlando Police Department will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
Sergeant Rodney Vance and Corporal Michelle Rogers of the Orlando Police Department join WESH 2 to discuss how kids, teens and families can stay safe this Halloween.OPD will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m. The free community event will be held at the department’s headquarters on West South Street.Click here to learn more.
ORLANDO, Fla. —
Sergeant Rodney Vance and Corporal Michelle Rogers of the Orlando Police Department join WESH 2 to discuss how kids, teens and families can stay safe this Halloween.
OPD will hosts its annual trunk-or-treat event on Thursday, Oct. 30 from 4-7 p.m.
The free community event will be held at the department’s headquarters on West South Street.
Today’s high school students face an uncertain road ahead. AI is changing what skills are valued in the job market, and the Trump administration’s funding cuts have stalled scientific research across disciplines. Most professions seem unlikely to look the same in 10 years, let alone 50. Even students interested in STEM subjects are asking: What can my career look like, and how do I get there?
WIRED talked to five high school seniors from across the country about their interest in STEM—and how they’re making sense of the future.
These comments have been edited for length and clarity.
This Generation Needs to Be at the Forefront of AI Development
I’ve always had an interest in computer science, but my interest in AI started my junior year. The part that hooked me was how applicable it was to our daily lives. I was able to see the rise of ChatGPT and other LLMs, and how people were using them in my academic life. Some people would use it unethically on tests or assignments, but it could also be used to create practice problems. Being able to see how rapidly it’s evolving in front of me was the main reason I became interested. It’s affecting our academic life so much that it’s imperative that we’re at the forefront of how it’s being developed.
My school is a math and science academy, so I got to explore independent research related to LLMs. One of the main things I worked on was how LLMs can sometimes indirectly give out private data. Say you ask it to code something for you that requires an API key, which is sensitive information. Because it’s trained on a vast amount of data, it could have an API key in its data set, and it’ll give you code, possibly including the API key. My most accomplished research project was developing an algorithm to cut out those private pieces of data during its training, to allow it not to spew out these pieces of private data during use.
AI is such a new field that’s evolving, that if we’re able to set roots in it right now, we’d be able to see that outcome as we grow older. Understanding its security is very important to me, especially considering it’s being used almost blindly by everyone. What interests me is being at the forefront and making sure I can have some say in how my data is being used.
I’m applying to undergrad programs right now, and I’m also looking at some untraditional routes, where you go straight into an industry. Right now, in computer science, sometimes a degree is just a baseline, and if you have the skills, it’s not even necessary. So I’m looking into other options. —Laksh Patel, 17, Willowbrook, Illinois
Health Care Access Starts With Communities
My family, on both sides, has a long history of women developing neurodegenerative disease, mostly Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. So I spent my whole childhood playing doctor, treating my family matriarchs, tending to them and seeing how their diseases progressed. I became so interested in how these diseases worked, and how I could help patients like the ones in my family and my community who didn’t have access to medical resources because of their income.
I’ve really developed a love for patient care, for being able to help a person in such a debilitating time in their lives. As those female family members began to fade away and pass on, I realized how quickly these diseases spread and why they were so detrimental, especially without proper medicine. When I got into high school, I started to get oriented with research, so that I could gain a base level of understanding to bring to college to try to begin my career as early as possible and help more people.
BOGOTÁ, Colombia (AP) — At age 72, Rosalba Casas finally celebrated her 15th birthday on Friday, donning a flowing pink dress and a tiara for the quinceañera she dreamed of as a teenager.
“This is the happiest day because I’m celebrating my 15th birthday,” Casas said, adding that she’d stayed up all night thinking about the big day.
It was the first time she wore professional makeup or a formal gown, or rode in a limousine, where she joined 28 other older women chosen by the Sueños Hechos (Dreams Come True) Foundation for belated birthday celebrations.
Quinceañeras are a time-honored tradition in Latin America, a often lavish celebration that marks a girl’s passage into adulthood when she turns 15. But for the 29 women — mostly grandmothers — honored at this party, childhood hardships put any kind of celebration out of reach.
They rode in a limousine through the streets of northwestern Bogotá in to lively music, leaning out the car’s open roof to wave excitedly at passersby who recorded them on their phones.
“I never rode in anything like that. I’d only seen them in pictures, but I never imagined I’d be in one,” Casas said. “I blew kisses to everyone,” she added with a laugh.
Deep inequality means many Colombians miss a rite of passage
Casas said that on her 15th birthday, she didn’t receive a single greeting. It was just another workday for her as a domestic employee in a wealthy Bogotá home, where her mother also worked.
María Isabel Carmona, 71, had a similar story. She recalled her 15th birthday party as a special breakfast of hot chocolate and fried eggs.
“My mother was very poor. There were a lot of us kids, and we lived in a small town. There was no way to celebrate,” Carmona said while getting her makeup done at a beauty academy that donated its services to the belated quinceañeras.
Even though it’s a very common tradition in Colombia, not all households can afford such a party in a country where the government estimates 31% of the population lives in poverty. The World Bank ranks the country as one of the most unequal in Latin America.
The 29 women stepped out of the limousine onto a red carpet leading into a community hall, where uniformed police officers raised their sabers to form an honor guard for the quinceañeras.
An emotional quinceañera song played in the background: “So fast — already 15 years, it can’t be … please, don’t grow up anymore.”
The women then swapped their shoes for sneakers — a bit more comfortable at their age — and were invited to dance the waltz, first with police officers, then with their husbands, sons and grandsons.
The project began with underprivileged girls
Freddy Alfonso Páez, director of the Sueños Hechos Foundation and a retired police officer, founded the organization five years ago with his two brothers, though they had started offering 15th birthday parties to underprivileged girls a couple of years earlier.
The project expanded to older women when organizers thought of others — like Páez’s own mother — who never had the traditional celebration in their youth.
Páez said the group has held quinceañera parties for older women for the past five years, providing the celebrations to 128 so far.
The Sueños Hechos Foundation holds the annual event with help from sponsors who donate the limousine, food and dresses. The police also lend support, with officers serving as escorts for the guests of honor.
The 29 women at Friday’s celebration, ages 60 to 85, were selected through an open call on social media.
“Many have different health conditions — diabetes, heart issues, leg or hip pain — but when the party begins, they forget all that and just enjoy themselves,” Páez said.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
They have cup holders at the multiplex. But as yet, they have not installed Kleenex holders.
That might have been a good idea once it was clear that director Josh Boone was going to helm another adaptation of a popular YA novel, this time “Regretting You” by Colleen Hoover. As fans may recall, Boone’s “The Fault in Our Stars” sent millions of overactive tear ducts and sniffly noses into overdrive. It would have been good to have a whole box of tissues at hand.
Of course, that story was about not only about teen love but teen cancer. It was hard not to cry just thinking about it, let alone seeing it. “Regretting You,” a tragicomic intergenerational romance adapted by Susan McMartin, has its share of grief. But the strange way the tears give way to smiles, quips and then full-on rom-com corniness feels a little awkward — and then just weird and annoying. It’s a two-Kleenex ride, at most — definitely not the whole box.
Allison Williams and Dave Franco play Morgan and Jonah, and when we first meet them in high school, they have definite chemistry (they also look like they’re around 30, despite some de-aging). But Jonah’s dating Morgan’s sister Jenny, and Morgan is with Jonah’s buddy Chris. This prelude, at a teen gathering on the beach, introduces us to the quartet but also informs us of Morgan’s unexpected pregnancy, which she’s just discovered in a convenience store restroom.
“How did we end up with our exact opposites?” Jonah asks on the beach, as hunky Chris parties and gets drunk, along with Morgan’s fun-loving sister.
And then 17 years later, we meet the foursome again. We’re more than a little disappointed to know that the couples remained intact — sort of. Did Morgan REALLY marry the boyfriend who told her on the beach that she was more fun when drunk? Yes, Morgan married Chris. And sister Jenny is with Jonah (bespectacled and dark and twisty, as Meredith Grey might say) — but only because a one-night stand has led to a baby, which they’re co-parenting.
Then there’s the other baby — Morgan’s daughter Clara (Mckenna Grace), about to turn 17, lovely, smart and aiming for drama school. There’s some conflict with her mother about this ambition, though like so much here, it really doesn’t ring true that Morgan, as portrayed by the always-appealing Williams, would oppose such a thing. But whatever. Who are we to question the stuff between teen daughters and their moms, right?
Then Miller turns up. Known as the coolest guy in school (believable) but also a slightly sketchy sort (not believable), Miller, played sweetly by Mason Thames, enters Clara’s life when he hitches a ride with her. She knows he has a girlfriend, but is smitten. Theirs is a rocky road to love. Kidding! Only a few pesky pebbles stand in the way, seemingly meant to take up pages in a meandering script. (He breaks up with the girlfriend. He reunites with the girlfriend! He breaks up with the girlfriend again. He’s a little angry! He’s fine again.)
But back to the main event: Everyone is coexisting with a minimum of turbulence … until tragedy happens, leaving a jagged streak of grief that cuts across the family.
Hoover’s readers will know what we’re talking about. So, partial spoiler alert: An accident cuts down the character list. And throws every single relationship into turmoil.
It’s hard to discuss much of this without further spoilers, but let’s just say we have the requisite zigs and zags but literally no real suspense. Along the way, the wittiest moment is when Jonah’s baby finds himself on a shopping cart in the supermarket wedged between large bottles of white wine, with which Morgan is self-medicating. Speaking of medication, one assumes the cheery line, “Acetaminophen always helps!” was written before it became a political statement.
Last year’s adaptation of Hoover’s “It Ends With Us,” directed by Justin Baldoni as you may have heard, was a big hit, and so expectations have been considerable for “Regretting You.” There are some sweet kisses (otherwise, it’s very chaste) and some nice declarations of motherly devotion (credit to Williams for doing her best) but the cheese factor is regretfully high. And the whole thing ends with a wrap-it-all-up scene so corny, I literally felt myself blush in the darkness of the multiplex.
If there had been a box of Kleenex beside me rather than a Diet Coke, I would have covered my eyes.
“Regretting You,” a Paramount Pictures release, has been rated PG-13 “for sexual content, teen drug and alcohol use, and brief strong language.” Running time: 117 minutes. One and a half stars out of four.
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama board is seeking to prohibit public libraries from placing books that “positively” depict transgender themes and topics in teen and children’s sections.
The Alabama Public Library Service Board of Directors is considering a proposed rule change that expands the existing requirement for youth sections to be free of “material deemed inappropriate for children.” The new proposal said that includes any material that “positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders.”
The Alabama proposal is the latest salvo in the national fight over library content. The state board on Tuesday held a lengthy and sometimes heated and emotional public hearing ahead of next month’s expected vote.
Opponents called the proposal blatantly discriminatory and an attempt to impose one viewpoint on all Alabamians at the expense of trans youth and their families.
“These changes do not protect children — they police ideas,” said Matthew Layne, a past president of the Alabama Library Association.
Supporters of the proposal said parents who want their children to read the books can get them in other places.
“Removing trans books is not book-banning,” Julia Cleland, a member of the group Eagle Forum, told the board. Cleland said she would prefer the books be removed entirely from public libraries, not just youth sections.
John Wahl, the chairman of the library board, said he expects the board to approve the rule change, or an amended version of it, when they meet next month. He said libraries could stock the materials in adult sections where parents could access them for their children.
“We want parents to be confident that the children’s sections of Alabama libraries are age appropriate, that their children are not going to stumble against sexually explicit content,” Wahl said. Wahl is also chair of the Alabama Republican Party.
Some speakers said public libraries must serve all types of families, including those with trans children and adults.
Alyx Kim-Yohn, a librarian in north Alabama, told the board that as a queer teenager, they were isolated and bullied to the point of writing a suicide note.
“What saved me was reading literature that had people like me in it. What saved me was finding other queer folks who had the opportunity to grow up and be queer adults, which not all of us get,” Kim-Yohn said.
Other speakers said they didn’t want their child or grandchild to see books suggesting that gender can be changed.
The three-hour meeting ended with pointed disagreements over the motivation for the proposal.
“It’s politically motivated. It is taking away control from local libraries who are appointed by local governing bodies,” board member Ronald A. Snider said. Snider accused Wahl of using his position as Republican Party chairman to drum up support of the proposal.
Wahl said the proposal was in response to concerns and that his goal was “to put parents in charge.”
If the Alabama change is adopted, a local library could lose state funding if the board decides it is not compliant. The Alabama library board this spring voted to withhold state funding from the Fairhope Public Library because of some of the books available in the teen section of the library.
The Alabama proposal comes amid a wave of legislation and regulations in Republican-controlled states targeting libraries.
Kasey Meehan, the director of the Freedom to Read program at PEN America, said this is not the first time they’ve seen a state government “attempt to remove youth access to books with LGBTQ+ themes.” She noted an Idaho law that restricted access to books with content considered “harmful to minors.”
“Policies that target LGBTQ themes in libraries are not only discriminatory but a disaster for libraries and readers,” Meehan said. “These policies feed on ignorance and fear-mongering against queer and trans people, and diminish the ability of libraries to effectively serve all within their communities.”
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Ahmed Othman isn’t on TikTok and doesn’t want to be.
He and his younger sister got iPhones when they were in eighth and seventh grade respectively, but with no social media, just iMessage. Their parents, who are both computer scientists, spent the next year teaching them about social media, bombarding them with studies about its effects on teen mental health.
“They really tried to emphasize social media is a tool, but can also be like your worst enemy if you so make it,” Othman said.
Now 17, Othman credits his parents’ deep involvement for what he calls a “healthy relationship” with his phone. That includes staying away from TikTok.
“The algorithm is so potent that I feel like, you know, TikTok might not benefit me,” he said.
Othman, who’s originally from Libya and lives in Massachusetts, is an outlier among his peers, nearly two-thirds of whom are on TikTok either with or without their parents’ permission, according to the Pew Research Center.
Othman’s parents took a middle ground approach that a growing number of experts say is the most realistic and effective way of teaching children about social media: Rather than an outright ban or allowing free reign, they recommend a slow, deliberate onboarding that gives children the tools and information they need to navigate a world in which places like TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat are almost impossible to escape.
“You cannot just expect that the kids will jump into the world of social media, learn how to swim on their own,” said Natalie Bazarova, a professor of communications and director of the Cornell Social Media Lab. “They need to have instruction. They need to have practice on how to behave on social media. They need to have understanding of risks and opportunities. And they also need to learn that in a way that is age appropriate.”
FEW GUARDRAILS
The harms to children from social media have been well-documented in the two decades since Facebook’s launch ushered in a new era in how the world communicates. Kids who spend more time on social media, especially when they are tweens or young teenagers, are more likely to experience depression and anxiety, according to multiple studies — though it is not yet clear if there is a causal relationship.
Many are exposed to content that is not appropriate for their age, including pornography and violence. They also face bullying, sexual harassment and unwanted advances from their peers as well as adult strangers. Because their brains are not fully developed, teenagers are also more affected by social comparisons than adults, so even happy posts from friends could send them into a negative spiral.
Lawmakers have taken notice and have held multiple congressional hearings — most recently in January — on child online safety. Still, the last federal law aimed at protecting children online was enacted in 1998, six years before Facebook’s founding.
Last May, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued a warning saying there is not enough evidence to show that social media is safe for kids and urged policymakers to address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula, medication and other products children use. Parents, he stressed, can’t do it all, although some — like Othman’s — try.
Othman at first wanted a phone “with everything on it, no restrictions.”
“But like now, after the years passed, I really do understand and appreciate what they did,” he said.
WHEN IT’S NOT ENOUGH
Of course, the Othmans’ approach may not work for every family. Most parents are not computer scientists, and many don’t have the time or expertise to create a crash-course on social media for their children.
But even when parents are vigilant, that’s still no guarantee their children won’t fall prey to social media’s traps.
Neveen Radwan thought she did everything right when she gave her children phones: putting restrictions on their accounts, having access to their passwords, taking away their phones at night, setting everything to private.
“I made sure that everything was very, very, you know, airtight,” said Radwan, who worked in information technology for 20 years.
Her daughter didn’t get a phone until she was 13. She started using social media in the eighth grade. When she was 16, she was diagnosed with anorexia.
“We were right in the beginning of (the COVID lockdowns) and it progressed very quickly because we were at home and she was on social media quite a bit at the time,” Radwan recalled.
An avid athlete, the teen started looking for workouts and ways to stay healthy on Instagram. Soon, though, the algorithm began showing her social media challenges like “how to stay under 500 calories a day” and “if you want to stay skinny, you need to be able to fit in a baby swing.” Within two or three months, Radwan said her daughter was in the hospital.
Today, Radwan speaks about the harms of social media to teens and has joined a lawsuit against Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta Platforms Inc. that seeks to hold the tech giant accountable for the harms its platforms have caused to children and teens. Her daughter has recovered and is attending college.
ARE SCHOOLS THE ANSWER?
While parents are definitely part of the equation, most of the the teens and experts interviewed by The Associated Press pointed to schools as the key place where all children can learn about “digital citizenship,” the umbrella term that includes news media literacy, cyberbullying, social media balance and now even artificial intelligence literacy.
“We have sex education. We don’t have things about like online safety,” said Bao Le, a 18-year-old freshman at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. “And a lot of kids are dying of suicide, you know, text sextortion. So I think it’s really important the school also teaches this.”
But while some schools offer digital literacy or online safety programs, these are still few and far between. Teachers already face pressure to teach the regular curriculum while also dealing with staffing shortages and funding issues. Not only that, but kids are often encouraged to be on social media if they want to participate in extracurricular activities and other school programs.
Some schools opt to ban phones altogether, but just as with parental bans, kids often find a way. For instance, at schools that collect the gadgets from kids in the morning, students say they get around it by turning in fake phones. To get around parental bans, they set up social media accounts on friends’ phones, computers or buy burner phones to keep using after they have turned in their official phone.
“Hope is not a strategy. And pretending that (social media) doesn’t exist is also not a strategy, because we have to deal with real life,” said Merve Lapus, vice president of education outreach at the nonprofit Common Sense Media, whose digital citizenship curriculum is used in more than 90,000 schools in the U.S. “Our kids are being exposed to it in some shape or form. They’re hearing about it with their friends. The pressure to feel connected has not changed. I mean, these are all pressures we felt as kids.”
To really connect with kids, he said, it’s best to get deeper into the pressures they face when it comes to social media, and validate that those are real pressures.
“I think that’s one of the challenges right now, is that it becomes the center of attention only when it’s problematic,” Lapus said. “And so we frame these tools as only problematic tools very easily, very quickly, and our kids will say, you just don’t get it, I can’t talk to you about these things because you don’t understand.”
NONPROFITS STEP UP
Over the past decade or so, nonprofits and advocacy groups — many run by young people who emerged from their own struggles with social media — have popped up to offer help.
Larissa May stumbled on to social media a decade ago when she was in high school “without any roadmap” on its dangers or how to use it. May said she was dealing with depression and anxiety that social media exacerbated. In college, she became “obsessed” with social media and digital marketing, running a fashion blog where she was posting on every day.
“I got to a point where I was spending 12-plus hours a day on my phone in my room, more focused on my digital identity than the world around me, my mental health, my physical health, my sleep,” May recalled. She almost took her own life.
The turning point came when May started going to a psychiatrist almost every day, with clear instructions of what she needed to do: Take antidepressants, start moving her body sleep, and start socializing.
“However, I was spending all of my day on my phone, which they never addressed, and being on my phone prevented me from doing all of those things,” May said. “And it wasn’t until one day where I had this, you know, midnight thought of, why can I not heal? And it was because I hadn’t healed my relationship with technology.”
So, she shut down her fashion blog and started HalfTheStory in 2015, with the intent of gathering stories from young people such as Othman to understand how social media was affecting them.
“And what I found out was that I wasn’t alone in my struggle,” she said.
Today, HalfTheStory works with young people to build better relationships with technology, on their own terms, starting in middle school even before some kids have a device.
To May, abstinence is not the answer to teens’ problems with social media.
“What I learn from every single one of our teens is that they wish their parents had more boundaries for them,” she said. “And I think that parents feel afraid because honestly, a lot of violence and conflict erupts around devices.”
WESTPORT, Conn. (AP) — Kate Bulkeley’s pledge to stay off social media in high school worked at first. She watched the benefits pile up: She was getting excellent grades. She read lots of books. The family had lively conversations around the dinner table and gathered for movie nights on weekends.
Then, as sophomore year got underway, the unexpected problems surfaced. She missed a student government meeting arranged on Snapchat. Her Model U.N. team communicates on social media, too, causing her scheduling problems. Even the Bible Study club at her Connecticut high school uses Instagram to communicate with members.
Gabriela Durham, a high school senior in Brooklyn, says navigating high school without social media has made her who she is today. She is a focused, organized, straight-A student with a string of college acceptances — and an accomplished dancer who recently made her Broadway debut. Not having social media has made her an “outsider,” in some ways. That used to hurt; now, she says, it feels like a badge of honor.
With the damaging consequences of social media increasingly well documented, some parents are trying to raise their children with restrictions or blanket bans. Teenagers themselves are aware that too much social media is bad for them, and some are initiating social media “cleanses” because of the toll it takes on mental health and grades.
This article is part of AP’s Be Well coverage, focusing on wellness, fitness, diet and mental health. Read more Be Well.
But it is hard to be a teenager today without social media. For those trying to stay off social platforms while most of their peers are immersed, the path can be challenging, isolating and at times liberating. It can also be life-changing.
This is a tale of two families, social media and the ever-present challenge of navigating high school. It’s about what kids do when they can’t extend their Snapstreaks or shut their bedroom doors and scroll through TikTok past midnight. It’s about what families discuss when they’re not having screen-time battles. It’s also about persistent social ramifications.
AP AUDIO: Life as a teen without social media isn’t easy. These families are navigating adolescence offline
AP correspondent Jocelyn Gecker reports on the social ramifications some families saw for their teenagers after cutting out social media.
The journeys of both families show the rewards and pitfalls of trying to avoid social media in a world that is saturated by it.
A FUNDAMENTAL CHANGE
Concerns about children and phone use are not new. But there is a growing realization among experts that the COVID-19 pandemic fundamentally changed adolescence. As youth coped with isolation and spent excessive time online, the pandemic effectively carved out a much larger space for social media in the lives of American kids.
No longer just a distraction or a way to connect with friends, social media has matured into a physical space and a community that almost all U.S. teenagers belong to. Up to 95% of teenagers say they use social media, with more than one-third saying they are on it “almost constantly,” according to the Pew Research Center.
More than ever, teenagers live in a seamless digital and non-digital world in ways that most adults don’t recognize or understand, says Michael Rich, a pediatrics professor at Harvard Medical School and head of the nonprofit Digital Wellness Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.
Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13 , left, holds her phone as she has dinner with her sister Gabriela Durham, 17 years old, unseen, on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“Social media is now the air kids breathe,” says Rich, who runs the hospital’s Clinic for Interactive Media and Internet Disorders.
For better or worse, social media has become a home-base for socializing. It’s where many kids turn to forge their emerging identities, to seek advice, to unwind and relieve stress. It impacts how kids dress and talk. In this era of parental control apps and location tracking, social media is where this generation is finding freedom.
It is also increasingly clear that the more time youth spend online, the higher the risk of mental health problems.
Kids who use social media for more than three hours a day face double the risk of depression and anxiety, according to studies cited by U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, who issued an extraordinary public warning last spring about the risks of social media to young people.
Those were the concerns of the Bulkeleys and Gabriela’s mother, Elena Romero. Both set strict rules starting when their kids were young and still in elementary school. They delayed giving phones until middle school and made social media off limits until 18. They educated the girls, and their younger siblings, on the impact of social media on young brains, on online privacy concerns, on the dangers of posting photos or comments that can come back to haunt you.
Cell phones charge on a ledge between the living room and kitchen as Steph Bulkeley helps Kate select school courses, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Cell phones charge on a ledge between the living room and kitchen as Steph Bulkeley helps Kate select school courses, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Elena Romero, second from left, and her daughters Gabriela Durham, 17, left, Gionna Durham, 13 second from right, and Grace Durham, 11, have dinner together on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Elena Romero, second from left, and her daughters Gabriela Durham, 17, left, Gionna Durham, 13 second from right, and Grace Durham, 11, have dinner together on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
In the absence of social media, at least in these two homes, there is a noticeable absence of screen time battles. But the kids and parents agree: It’s not always easy.
WHEN IT’S EVERYWHERE, IT’S HARD TO AVOID
At school, on the subway and at dance classes around New York City, Gabriela is surrounded by reminders that social media is everywhere — except on her phone.
Growing up without it has meant missing out on things. Everyone but you gets the same jokes, practices the same TikTok dances, is up on the latest viral trends. When Gabriela was younger, that felt isolating; at times, it still does. But now, she sees not having social media as freeing.
“From my perspective, as an outsider,” she says, “it seems like a lot of kids use social media to promote a facade. And it’s really sad. Because social media is telling them how they should be and how they should look. It’s gotten to a point where everyone wants to look the same instead of being themselves.”
There is also friend drama on social media and a lack of honesty, humility and kindness that she feels lucky to be removed from.
Gabriela is a dance major at the Brooklyn High School of the Arts and dances outside of school seven days a week. Senior year got especially intense, with college and scholarship applications capped by an unexpected highlight of getting to perform at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre in March as part of a city showcase of high school musicals.
After a recent Saturday afternoon dance class in a Bronx church basement, the diverging paths between Gabriela and her peers is on full display. The other dancers, aged 11 to 16, sit cross-legged on the linoleum floor talking about social media.
Gabriela Durham, 17, arranges items on her dresser inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gabriela Durham, 17, arranges items on her dresser inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“I am addicted,” says 15-year-old Arielle Williams, who stays up late scrolling through TikTok. “When I feel like I’m getting tired I say, ‘One more video.’ And then I keep saying, ‘One more video.’ And I stay up sometimes until 5 a.m.”
The other dancers gasp. One suggests they all check their phones’ weekly screen time.
“OH. MY,” says Arielle, staring at her screen. “My total was 68 hours last week.” That included 21 hours on TikTok.
Gabriela sits on the sidelines of the conversation, listening silently. But on the No. 2 subway home to Brooklyn, she shares her thoughts. “Those screen-time hours, it’s insane.”
As the train rumbles from the elevated tracks in the Bronx into the underground subway tunnels in Manhattan, Gabriela is on her phone. She texts with friends, listens to music and consults a subway app to count down the stops to her station in Brooklyn. The phone for her is a distraction limited to idle time, which has been strategically limited by Romero.
“My kids’ schedules will make your head spin,” Romero says as the family reconvenes Saturday night in their three-bedroom walkup in Bushwick. On school days, they’re up at 5:30 a.m. and out the door by 7. Romero drives the girls to their three schools scattered around Brooklyn, then takes the subway into Manhattan, where she teaches mass communications at the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Grace, 11, is a sixth grade cheerleader active in Girl Scouts, along with Gionna, 13, who sings, does debate team and has daily rehearsals for her middle school theater production.
Grace Durham, 11, checks her wardrobe inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Grace Durham, 11, checks her wardrobe inside her room on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13, reads a book on the sofa on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Gionna Durham, 13, reads a book on the sofa on Saturday, Jan. 27, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
“I’m so booked my free time is to sleep,” says Gabriela, who tries to be in bed by 10:30 p.m.
In New York City, it’s common for kids to get phones early in elementary school, but Romero waited until each daughter reached middle school and started taking public transportation home alone. Years ago, she sat them down to watch “The Social Dilemma,” a documentary that Gabriela says made her realize how tech companies manipulate their users.
Her mom’s rules are simple: No social media on phones until 18. The girls are allowed to use YouTube on their computers but not post videos. Romero doesn’t set screen-time limits or restrict phone use in bedrooms.
“It’s a struggle, don’t get me wrong,” Romero says. Last year, the two younger girls “slipped.” They secretly downloaded TikTok for a few weeks before getting caught and sternly lectured.
Romero is considering whether to bend her rule for Gionna, an avid reader interested in becoming a Young Adult “Bookstagrammer” — a book reviewer on Instagram. Gionna wants to be a writer when she grows up and loves the idea that reviewers get books for free.
Her mother is torn. Romero’s main concern was social media during middle school, a critical age where kids are forming their identity. She supports the idea of using social media responsibly as a tool to pursue passions.
“When you’re a little older,” she tells her girls, “you’ll realize Mom was not as crazy as you thought.”
STRUGGLING NOT TO MISS OUT
In the upscale suburb of Westport, Connecticut, the Bulkeleys have faced similar questions about bending their rules. But not for the reason they had anticipated.
Kate was perfectly content to not have social media. Her parents had figured at some point she might resist their ban because of peer pressure or fear of missing out. But the 15-year-old sees it as a waste of time. She describes herself as academic, introverted and focused on building up extracurricular activities.
That’s why she needed Instagram.
“I needed it to be co-president of my Bible Study Club,” Kate explains, seated with her family in the living room of their two-story home.
As Kate’s sophomore year started, she told her parents that she was excited to be leading a variety of clubs but needed social media to do her job. They agreed to let her have Instagram for her afterschool activities, which they found ironic and frustrating. “It was the school that really drove the fact that we had to reconsider our rule about no social media,” says Steph Bulkeley, Kate’s mother.
Schools talk the talk about limiting screen time and the dangers of social media, says Kate’s dad, Russ Bulkeley. But technology is rapidly becoming part of the school day. Kate’s high school and their 13-year-old daughter Sutton’s middle school have cell phone bans that aren’t enforced. Teachers will ask students to take out their phones to photograph material during class time.
Kate and Sutton Bulkeley talk in the living room, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
Kate and Sutton Bulkeley talk in the living room, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024, in Westport, Conn. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The Bulkeleys aren’t on board with that, but feel powerless to change it. When their girls were still in elementary school, the Bulkeleys were inspired by the “Wait Until 8th” pledge, which encourages parents to wait to give children smartphones, and access to social media, until at least 8th grade or about age 13. Some experts say waiting until 16 is better. Others feel banning social media isn’t the answer, and that kids need to learn to live with the technology because it’s not going anywhere.
Ultimately they gave in to Kate’s plea because they trust her, and because she’s too busy to devote much time to social media.
Both Kate and Sutton wrap up afterschool activities that include theater and dance classes at 8:30 p.m. most weeknights. They get home, finish homework and try to be in bed by 11.
Kate spends an average of two hours a week on her phone. That is significantly less than most, according to a 2023 Gallup poll that found over half of U.S. teens spend an average of five hours each day on social media. She uses her phone mainly to make calls, text friends, check grades and take photos. She doesn’t post or share pictures, one of her parents’ rules. Others: No phones allowed in bedrooms. All devices stay on a ledge between the kitchen and living room. TV isn’t allowed on school nights.
Kate has rejected her parents’ offer to pay her for waiting to use social media. But she is embarking slowly on the apps. She has set a six-minute daily time limit as a reminder not to dawdle on Instagram.
Having the app came in handy earlier this year at a Model UN conference where students from around the world exchanged contact details: “Nobody asked for phone numbers. You gave your Instagram,” Kate says. She is resisting Snapchat, for fear she will find it addictive. She has asked a friend on student government to text her any important student government messages sent on Snapchat.
Sutton feels the weight of not having social media more than her older sister. The eighth grader describes herself as social but not popular.
“There’s a lot of popular girls that do a bunch of TikTok dances. That’s really what determines your popularity: TikTok,” Sutton says.
Kids in her grade are “obsessed with TikTok” and posting videos of themselves that look to her like carbon copies. The girls look the same in short crop tops and jeans and sound the same, speaking with a TikTok dialect that includes a lot of “Hey, guys!” and uptalk, their voices rising in tone at the end of a thought.
She feels left out at times but doesn’t feel the need to have social media, since one of her friends sends her the latest viral videos. She has seen firsthand the problems social media can cause in friend groups. “Two of my friends were having a fight. One thought the other one blocked her on Snapchat.”
There’s a long way to go before these larger questions are resolved, with these two families and across the nation. Schools are trying. Some are banning phones entirely to hold students’ focus and ensure that socializing happens face-to-face. It might, educators say, also help cut back on teen depression and anxiety.
That’s something Sutton can understand at age 13 as she works to navigate the years ahead. From what she has seen, social media has changed in the past few years. It used to be a way for people to connect, to message and to get to know each other.
“It’s kind of just about bragging now,” she says. “People post pictures of their trips to amazing places. Or looking beautiful. And it makes other people feel bad about themself.”
___
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — Now here’s something you might not quite believe about Victoria Beckham, glam Spice Girl turned high-profile fashion designer: At theater school, they purposely put her in the back row. Because she was too heavy.
“It was really difficult,” she says now of the memory from her youth, sipping a sparkling water in a Manhattan hotel in between work engagements. “We were all judged on how we looked. I was young. I had bad skin, my weight was going up and down, I had really lank hair.”
Beckham was also bullied in school and told she was a bad learner, revelations that come in a new documentary, “Victoria Beckham.” The three-part Netflix series traces her career and especially her ascension in the fashion world — building up to a grand Paris runway show at a palace in front of 600 people.
That 2024 show — with a rainstorm threatening to scuttle the whole thing — is presented as a career pinnacle for a designer who spent years proving herself alongside giants of the field, showing she wasn’t simply a celebrity slapping her name on a label. ( Vogue’s Anna Wintour is among the fashion luminaries attesting to Beckham’s hard-won industry acceptance in the documentary).
Of course the show also features liberal doses of Beckham’s soccer legend husband David — just as Victoria appeared in his own recent, popular Netflix documentary “Beckham” (both were produced by David Beckham’s own Studio 99).
Some reviews have said Victoria’s documentary feels more guarded and less revelatory. In any case, Victoria Beckham says wanted to tell her own story, her own way. She focuses only briefly on what a certain generation knows her best for — the four years she spent as Posh Spice — and mostly on the two decades she’s been building her eponymous fashion and beauty brand.
Other revelations: While she was the richer partner when they married in 1999 and in fact bought their first house, it was David Beckham who later invested in her label and helped get it going.
She also talks about how her company almost fell apart due to bad business decisions — like spending 70,000 pounds (about $94,000) on office plants and 15,000 (about $20,000) more to water them — and how she learned, with investors, to right the ship.
Beckham, 51, sat down with The Associated Press this week during a visit to New York. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
BECKHAM: Well, his documentary wasn’t about me, you know. I was in the documentary as David’s wife and I’ve been part of his journey and I was so honored to talk about that. People’s response to me in that really surprised me, and there was something quite liberating about that because when I saw myself … I didn’t like how I came across. But then I think I’ve always felt that way about myself. I suppose it gave me the confidence to do my own.
BECKHAM: I’ve been in the fashion industry for almost two decades. I was in the Spice Girls for four years — and have been so defined by that four-year period in my life. A time that I’m so proud of, but I’ve fighting preconceptions because of that period. I feel that only now is my brand in a place where me talking about my past will not affect the brand that I’ve built.
BECKHAM: I’m not ashamed to say I’m really ambitious. And it’s been the first time that I’ve ever looked back and, having that bird’s eye view on my journey so far, even I found it inspiring what I have done … the fact that I have been told “No” so many times, told that I’m not enough, not good enough. And by the way, that started when I was a child, when I was at school. If anybody watches this documentary and I can give them the confidence to follow their dreams, that’s another really good reason to do it.
BECKHAM: Oh absolutely, I think that for many years I was misunderstood, before social media, you know, the media told the narrative, and then there were paparazzi pictures where most of the time I looked incredibly unhappy. And I think looking at the documentary telling my story from ME explains the why. I can’t blame people for looking at the pictures of me looking really grumpy.
BECKHAM: Never quite like this. The opportunity has never really presented itself. And I know a lot of people can relate to my story because of all the messages that I’ve had since people have watched the documentary. … From, yes, people that I know, but people that I don’t know, people who say, “I can relate, I have been through that.” It’s taken this process finally for me to feel at my age proud of what I’ve achieved and also to finally believe that I am enough.
BECKHAM: I’m so respectful of my time with Spice Girls. I still see all of the girls now. I wouldn’t be who I am now … the Spice Girls gave me the confidence to be me. I remember Geri (Halliwell) saying to me, “You’re funny, be funny.” I’m shy. And they really gave me my personality back. … I think people would be surprised to know that I was only a Spice Girl for four years. I’ve been in fashion nearly two decades, but people like to pigeonhole.
BECKHAM: Maybe. I don’t know. … I think I’ve earned my place to be showing where I am. I think that I’ve more than proved myself and earned the right to be there. Now I have to work hard to maintain that.
BECKHAM: I’ve learned so much. I know what I know and I really know what I DON’T know. It got to a stage where my investors told me that we had to re-strategize not just the business side of things but the creative things as well. And that was difficult. … We had to change a lot of things to fix the business and I took it on the chin. Of course that meant compromising, but I wanted to save the business.
BECKHAM: Fashion in its own right is profitable. And to be able to say that in this current climate is something I’m very proud of. I’m an independent brand as well, so I’m incredibly proud to say the fashion is making money. Beauty is also doing incredibly well. And now, it is about building the house that I really have always dreamed of.
BECKHAM: I recognize that I am really blessed. I am very appreciative of the life I have. You have to take it along with the other stuff.
Meta is adding parental controls for kids’ interactions with artificial intelligence chatbots — including the ability to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters altogether — beginning early next year.
But parents won’t be able to turn off Meta’s AI assistant, which Meta says will “will remain available to offer helpful information and educational opportunities, with default, age-appropriate protections in place to help keep teens safe.”
Parents who don’t want to turn off all chats with all AI characters will also be able to block specific chatbots. And Meta said Friday that parents will be able to get “insights” about what their kids are chatting about with AI characters — although they won’t get access to the full chats.
The changes come as the social media giant faces ongoing criticism over harms to children from its platforms. AI chatbots are also drawing scrutiny over their interactions with children that lawsuits claim have driven some to suicide.
Even so, more than 70% of teens have used AI companions and half use them regularly, according to a recent study from Common Sense Media, a nonprofit that studies and advocates for using screens and digital media sensibly.
On Tuesday, Meta announced that teen accounts on Instagram will be restricted to seeing PG-13 content by default and won’t be able to change their settings without a parent’s permission. This means kids using teen-specific accounts will see photos and videos on Instagram that are similar to what they would see in a PG-13 movie — no sex, drugs or dangerous stunts.
Meta said the PG-13 restrictions will also apply to AI chats.
Children’s online advocacy groups, however, were skeptical.
“From my perspective, these announcements are about two things. They’re about forestalling legislation that Meta doesn’t want to see, and they’re about reassuring parents who are understandably concerned about what’s happening on Instagram,” said Josh Golin, the executive director of the nonprofit Fairplay, after Meta’s announcement Tuesday.
