Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement
Internal chats show how social media companies discussed teen engagement Recently released documents show the big business opportunity that social media companies saw in recruiting teens to their platforms and how they discussed risks that heavy digital engagement could pose. The documents were released last week as part of a major set of trials brought […]
TikTok blames its US problems on a power outage
TikTok blames its US problems on a power outage TikTok says a power outage is causing ongoing issues and outages that started in the US early Sunday morning. In an email to The Verge, TikTok USDS spokesperson Jamie Favazza pointed to a statement posted to the joint venture’s newly-created X account, which says the company […]
TikTok USA is broken
TikTok USA is broken TikTok has suffered from extensive problems on its first weekend after completing a transaction that changed the ownership of its US arm. According to Downdetector, the issues initially spiked in the early hours of Sunday morning, but many users, including editors here at The Verge, are still reporting errors. On Monday […]
2026 is the year of social media’s legal reckoning
2026 is the year of social media's legal reckoning Over the next year, top social media executives are expected to take the witness stand to defend their companies from an avalanche of claims about their failure to protect kids. The first of many trials is set to begin this month in California, when Meta, TikTok, […]
TikTok broke in its first weekend with US ownership
TikTok broke in its first weekend with US ownership TikTok has suffered from extensive problems on its first weekend after completing the sale of its US arm, though some issues appear to have spread globally. TikTok has yet to confirm any issues a day after troubles began, making it difficult to surmise the extent of […]
Get ready for the AI ad-pocalypse
Get ready for the AI ad-pocalypse Of course ad agencies love AI commercials, this Kalshi ad only cost $2,000 to make. I’ll confess, with no shame whatsoever, that I really love ads. Artsy ones, funny ones, weird ones, emotional ones – TV commercials were my childhood TikTok before any of us were using terms like […]
Congress doesn’t seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law
Congress doesn't seem to know if the TikTok deal complies with its law TikTok finally closed a deal meant to bring it into compliance with the law that should have banned it a year ago, and the lawmakers who passed that law still don’t seem to know what’s going on. The company announced Tuesday that […]
What TikTok’s new owners mean for your feed
What TikTok's new owners mean for your feed TikTok is officially under new ownership in the US, and that could spell big changes for the video-sharing app. On January 22nd, ByteDance – TikTok’s Chinese parent company – and a group of investors closed a $14 billion deal to spin off the platform’s US operations, introducing […]
The TikTok deal is done, finally
The TikTok deal is done, finally Just over a year after it briefly disappeared from app stores, TikTok in the US is now part of a new entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC. With approval from both the US and China closing on the schedule laid out in December, ByteDance’s ownership of the new joint […]
Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future
Hundreds of creatives warn against an AI slop future Around 800 artists, writers, actors, and musicians signed on to a new campaign against what they call “theft at a grand scale” by AI companies. The signatories of the campaign – called “Stealing Isn’t Innovation” – include authors George Saunders and Jodi Picoult, actors Cate Blanchett […]