Today’s top news
Social media giants Meta and Google have been held liable in a landmark California lawsuit that found the companies knowingly designed addictive social media products that harmed the mental health of young women.
The ruling, which awards plaintiffs $3 million in damages, is the first of its kind and raises the prospect of penalties for social media companies in thousands of pending civil lawsuits filed across the United States.
The young woman’s claims centered on the addictive nature of social media products that led to anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia. This lawsuit was preceded by a separate lawsuit filed in New Mexico on March 24 in which Meta was ordered to pay $375 million in damages for failing to protect children from exploitation on its platform.
It remains to be seen whether these rulings, which the companies plan to appeal, will result in long-term structural changes to the way social media sites and other online forums operate. Previously, companies used Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to escape liability for what was said on their platforms.
By circumventing this defense, some analysts have suggested the ruling paves the way for widespread online censorship and privacy violations, but plaintiffs’ lawyers argued that the case is not about content, but about addictive design features built into the platform.
On the other hand, the clinical evidence regarding the addictive nature of these features, especially whether being glued to a mobile phone is a true addiction or simply “problematic use,” is still inconclusive.
trend
A new analysis has uncovered the oldest genetic evidence of a bond between humans and dogs, dating back 15,800 years, which is 5,000 years older than previous findings.
Researchers discovered this long interspecies bond by examining the genomes of various dog-like artifacts excavated from archaeological sites across Europe, as well as the earliest artifacts from Turkey’s central Anatolian plateau. New research suggests humans befriended domesticated wolves before farming was invented.
3 books to read
China’s lander reveals giant radiation ‘cavity’ between Earth and moon – could change the way lunar exploration is done [Live Science]Groundbreaking experiment reveals big unexpected problem with cloning [New Scientist]Scientists race to save Australia’s ‘zombie trees’ from rapidly spreading fungal disease [Live Science]
today’s photo
This painting is the first visual evidence of women fighting beasts in Roman arenas, new research has revealed.
The original mosaic depicting this scene was discovered in Reims, France in 1860 and was destroyed by bombing during World War I. However, French archaeologist Jean-Charles Loriquet discovered it and preserved it as a sketch.
said, said
word of the day
Momoztli — Nahuatl for “stone altar.” Recent excavations have revealed that one of these three-tiered stone structures was used for human sacrifices.
quote of the day
“Many people already feel overwhelmed by their digital lives, and asking them to wear a gadget on their face for casual interactions is a big ask.”
Lik-Hang Lee, assistant professor of augmented reality and virtual reality at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, talks about why the metaverse came to a sudden halt.
fun and games
Don’t you want to take a break after reading all this? Why not try a chain word puzzle?
Follow Live Science on social media
Want more science news? Follow our Live Science WhatsApp channel to keep up with the latest discoveries. It’s the best way to get expert reporting on the go, but even if you don’t use WhatsApp, you can use Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Flipboard, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Bluesky, and LinkedIn.
Source link
